ABC Book (1923)

ABC Book (1923)
C.B. Falls
Casebound, cloth over boards, sewn. H318 x W232 mm. 32 unnumbered pages. Acquired from Derringer Books, 28 August 2022.
Photos: Books On Books Collection.

Charles Buckles Falls’ reputation as an illustrator working in woodcuts and poster design, especially WWI posters supporting book donations to the troops, led to Doubleday’s signing up the ABC Book in 1923. The influence of Art Nouveau appears in the lettering as well as the antelope’s pose (although the zebra’s pose seems based on an equestrian statue, naturally without a rider). A stronger influence from William Nicholson, England’s premiere wood-engraver at the time, shows through in the lettering and coloring. While both artists used color to emphasize their black lines, Falls made bolder, more eccentric choices, which may ultimately have led to a return transatlantic influence on the UK illustrator Chris Wormell and others (see Further Reading).