Saturday, February 23, 2013

Shelf Candy Saturday #57: The Sword In The Stone, by T.H. White




Welcome to
Shelf Candy Saturday!!


This weekly meme/blog hop, hosted here,
features beautiful book covers!


If you'd like to participate, just grab my button (or create your own), write your own post, and link up in the Linky widget at the bottom of this post. (You have to click on "Read more" so that the entire post will open up.)

As a bonus, you can include information on the artist, designer, and/or photographer, but it's not required. You can simply feature a cover and explain why you love it!




Here's my choice for this week!



(The Once and Future King #1)
Hardcover, 256 pages
Philomel, 1993
(first published January, 1, 1939)
Fantasy, Literary Fiction


Why do I love this cover?

The realism of this illustration is truly remarkable.  Every detail is meticulously painted, and the play of light over the figures is just beautiful!  The artist has made these two legendary characters come alive.  They're magical characters, and yet, they also look like any average grandfather and grandson.   Of course, Merlin and Arthur were not related, in any version of the Arthurian tales, but the interaction of these two goes beyond that of mentor and future ruler.  There's a tenderness in this beautiful image that I find very touching.

Merlin is probably instructing Arthur about some important matter, but he's doing so in a gentle, loving way, while Arthur is not only listening attentively, but is making eye contact with his mentor.  His attitude is one of respectful admiration, as well as affection.  

Merlin's robe and hat are gorgeous!  Also, the owl sitting on his right shoulder looks comical, which lends a touch of humor to this cover.   

I also love the way the artist handled Merlin's hair and beard, as well as Arthur's golden hair, which catches the light, revealing nearly every strand.  It gives the boy's face an angelic look.

The font used for the lettering is perfect for this cover; it's classically medieval in style.





The artist who created this stunning cover
is named right below the book's title.

Here are some links for
Dennis Nolan!

Dennis Nolan









What do you think of my choice?
What beautiful cover(s)
are you featuring this week?










6 comments:

  1. Hi, sorry this is a bit late, really busy day helping someone move house and only just got home, hopefully I will do a better job on this post next Saturday. Thanks for this and I do think it is a good idea for a meme.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hey, Arabella!

    Thanks so much for joining in! And don't worry about being "late". There's no set time for you to post and link up! I do try to post as early as possible on Saturday mornings, though, so people can link up.

    I'll be checking out your cover! Thanks for the very nice, supportive comment!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi, Wendy!

    Glad you like it! I'll be checking out yours.

    Thanks for commenting!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is a superb picture for all the reasons that you mention.

    I love the addition of Merlin's owl on his shoulder.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hey, Brian!

    Yes, this is a wonderfully beautiful cover, isn't it? I love that owl on Merlin's shoulder, too!

    Thanks for commenting!! :)

    ReplyDelete

THIS IS NOW AN AWARD-FREE, AND TAG-FREE BLOG. Thanks for the compliment, though! : )

As of today, 9/23/18, I have permanently enabled comment moderation, due to a sudden rash of SPAM comments. I appreciate your patience!

Thanks for your thoughts on my posts! I always reply here, as well as comment back on your blog. Have a WONDERFUL day!! :)