Animal Abecedary (2018)

Animal Abecedary: A One-of-a-Kind Alphabet Book (2018)
Leslie Haines
Hardcover, paper over board, dustjacket and foldout poster in back cover pocket. H287 x W224 mm. 32 pages. Acquired from Dines Books, 13 October 2021.
Photos: Books On Books Collection. Displayed with permission of Leslie Haines.

Of the many artistic techniques applied to alphabet books, the collage has several champions, and the surreal collage claims many of them: Clément Mériguet, Paul Thurlby and Ludwig Zeller. Leslie Haines’ effort harks back to the collages of surrealist Max Ernst, who also turned his hand to lettrines.

For a useful exercise in comparing styles of collage, take Haines’ Animal Abecedary for a visit with Zazie Sazonoff’s L’Alphabet Zinzin as well as Mériguet’s ABCDead, Thurlby’s Paul Thurlby’s Alphabet and Zeller’s AlphaCollage.

Further Reading

“Abecedaries I (in progress)“. Books On Books Collection.

“Lynn Hatzius“. 2 December 2022. Books On Books Collection.

“Clément Mériguet“. 13 November 2021. Books On Books Collection.

“Zazie Sazonoff“. 4 November 2022. Books On Books Collection.

“Ludwig Zeller“. 24 March 2020. Books On Books Collection.

Brown, Jennifer. “Children’s Review: Paul Thurlby’s Alphabet“. 28 September 2011. Shelf Awareness. Accessed 3 November.

“The Collages of Max Ernst“. 6 February 2020. The Paris Review. Accessed 3 November.