Illustrated book

Overview

An illustrated book, though can be simply defined, has both an extensive history and future. With its constant change and improvements, the term illustrated book has grown to become a category for stories in which a wide range of illustrations are used, extending the creativity for storytelling.

Definition

The term illustrated book refers to a book which contains images. An illustrated book can contain various different types of images such as, photography, paintings and drawings. However, illustrated books are not limited to these types of art. As long as the book features images, the manner or form in which these images are shown is completely interchangeable.

History

Illustrated books have existed much longer than many may believe, having spanned through many different ages and eras. Though the type of illustrations or purpose behind them has differed over time, it is clear that illustrations have always been used as a part of storytelling.

Origins

Illustrated books originate from Ancient civilization in which Greek, Egyptian, and Mesopotamian culture's would use a variety of illustrations throughout their manuscript or stories. Some of these illustrations may have included hieroglyphs, murals, and pictograms. While the majority of these illustrations were drawn on the walls of temples and tombs rather than on a form of paper, they were still a form of an illustrated book, in which these illustrations were used to further enhance their storytelling. Though it can certainly be argued that these illustrations were done for decoration more than they were for storytelling, it is important to note that the definition or idea of what an illustrated book was during this time differs from todays definition, thus resulting in perhaps slightly different purposes than the majority of todays illustrated books.

An example of what an illustrated book during the medieval period may have looked like.

Medieval Period

From the making of parchment to the work of the scribes, books in the Medieval period were extensive and the illustrations were no exception. These illustrations could be anything from a decorative initial, illustrated margins, or extensive drawings that would further the story. During this period illustrated books were found in manuscripts. These illustrations would all be done by hand usually by monks or scribes, and would include a variety of colors and decorative elements. Each illustration served as a visual aid allowing the reader to better follow the story.

Renaissance Period

The Renaissance period can be defined as a period of time in which there was a renewed interest in the arts, thus leading to an emphasis on illustrations within books. Furthermore, with the invention of the Gutenberg Press in the 15th century, illustrations for books became further advanced. That is, not only did illustrations evolve from what they were in previous years, but with the help of the printing press, books became much more accessible to all, therefore allowing illustrated books to reach a much bigger audience.

Golden Age

The Golden Age was a period of achievement and advancement. While this spanned a wide range of areas, there was quite a lot of advancement in the printing technology, resulting in a greater number of productions of illustrated books, once again widening both the possibilities of illustrations and its audience. Furthermore, during this period a new standard of illustrations was created. This new standard included a wider range of colors, more details, and enhanced storytelling that reached an imaginative level.

Types of Illustrated Books

Illustrated books may include gardening books, cookbooks and lifestyle books. Illustrated books may also include children books and illustrated fiction which are explained in more detail below. While each of these types of books slightly differ, each features images unlike text-only books. Furthermore, each of these books, along with any other types of illustrated books, aren't necessarily made to be looked at consistently, but rather be flipped through selectively.

Children Books

Children books can be defined as a genre that is tailored for young readers, through both words and illustrations which complement the story. Much like other genres, the purpose of such a book can be to inform or persuade, but are usually to entertain. Some examples of children books can include fairy tales, lullabies, fables, and more. It is important to note however, that while picture books can fall under children books, there is a distinction that can be made from picture and illustrated books, which is later discussed.

Illustrated Fiction

Illustrated fiction though can include a variety of stories, can be defined as a story or narrative that uses images to both further the story and thus brings more meaning to it. This form of fiction results in a lot of controversy or arguments in which the line between the story being a novel or illustration becomes blurred. However, it can be argued that illustrated fiction's very purpose is to blurr these lines, in which both the style of a novel and illustrations are combined to make one unique and dynamic story.

Picture Books vs Illustrated Books

It is important to note that while picture books and illustrated books may seem like the same thing, they are actually two different forms of books, which can be seen below. For instance, while some may argue that some illustrated books such as cookbook and gardening books are picture books, this can be proven false. Cookbooks and gardening books though may depend on illustrations a bit more than other illustrated books, don't necessarily need the illustrations. That is, their story or really instructions can be followed with the text in the absence of illustrations, unlike picture books in which the absence of such images would change the story.

Picture Books

Purpose

Though much like illustrated books picture books contain images, the purpose and intention behind them differs. Within a picture book the images serve as a means of telling the story. The images are needed to depict the particular scene or part of the story and may or may not be accompanied by words. In other words, the story is heavily dependent upon the illustrations in order to both enhance and reinforce the story.

This distinct purpose is shown further in the Caldecott terms and criteria for children's picture books. The Caldecott Medal is awarded to America's most distinguished children's book. Within the criteria of this reward a definition of what qualifies as a children's picture books is stated. According to this definition a picture book contains a "unity of story-line, theme, or concept, developed through the series of pictures of which the book is comprised." With this defintion in mind, it is made clear that a picture book represents the unity of a story and its illustrations, that unlike a illustrated book, highly depends and relies on the use of its llustrations, and are thus pivotal to the story. Picture books are also typically for a particular audience rather various ones, with its main focus on engaging and entertaining children.

Eric Carle's award winning children's picture book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar .

Examples

Published nearly fifty years ago, #1 bestseller and one of The Atlantics 65 Essential Children's Books, The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle remains to be a pivotal example of a children's picture book. Following the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly, this book is not only tailored to a young audience, but heavily relies on its illustrations to tell the catapillars story. While these illustrations are accompanied by words, they were few in number and heavily depend upon the images to tell the entire story.

Other examples of picture books include Dr Seuss's work, in which the absence of the illustrations would result in perhaps a lesser or lack of understanding of the story. Some of these works include The Cat in the Hat and Oh the Places You'll Go! These works along with many others have earned a wide range of awards such as the Pulitzer Prize, Caldecott Honors, and various adaptions having won Emmy's and Oscars.

Illustrated Books

Purpose

Unlike the purpose of a picture book, illustrated books use illustrations as a means to simply enhance or further the story. These illustrations are not necessary to tell the story but are simply something added to further grab the readers attention. To put differently, illustrated books have an emphasis on text, with its narrative structure varying by genre and with illustrations that simply complement certain moments or scenes, adding to the overall reading experience. Unlike picture books, illustrated books include a wide of variety of stories and genres and aren't necessarily tailored for one type of audience, showing the endless possibilities under this type of book.

Illustrated edition of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, with illustrations by Jemima Catlin.

Examples

Beginning the epic adventure that is The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit follows the quest of a band of dwarves to reclaim the gold which Smaug, an evil dragon, has taken from them. Though this story is a text-only book, there is an illustrated edition which qualifies as an illustrated book. Jemima Catlin's illustrations add a layer of imagination to the story. It is important to note however, that without the illustrations the story would still be understood and portrayed correctly, unlike a picture book.

Another well known example of an illustrated book is E.B. White's Charolette's Web. Published in 1952, Charolette's Web remains a beloved and notable children's illustrated book. Following Charlotte the spider and Wilbur the pig, this particular story though does mainly contain text, uses illustrations to further depict and show the characters and their story.

Designs

When it comes to design and layout, illustrated books can either be vertical or horizontal. In the case of vertical images, the illustrations would appear like a portrait. On the other hand, a horizontal illustration would look much more like a landscape. While these are only two design options, there are many more options which can be decided based on what would not only better fit the book as a whole, but would better show the illustration. When making design decisions one must also consider the manner in which the book will be held. For instance, some illustrated books can be held by hand or they must be laid out on a table. This of course impacts the type and size of the design for the illustrations.

While not used universally, illustrated books may also be referred to as "coffee-table books." This connection is made by the idea that much like a coffee-table book, illustrated books are not only meant to be read and looked at "but they become part of our decor, an expression of taste and identity." While this is certianly not the case for all illustrated books, this connection has been made before in the past, further showing the forms of designs that illustrated books may have.

Future of Illustrated Books

Illustrated books have existed for a long time with each passing year resulting in further advancements and improvements. However, with the ever-growing use and changes in technology, and the continuously evolving and dynamic industry that is publishing, the question must be asked on what the future for illustrated books looks like.

An example of a book illustration done through Adobe Illustrator. Both the sketch (L) and the final copy (R) were created on Adobe Illustrator.

Impact of Technology

With the creation of the digital age, illustrations have gone beyond what they once were, becoming a form of art that can be done just as well if not more well than earlier methods. Some well known softwares that have played a role in creating these advancements are Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Procreate, and more.

The creation and advancement of illustration softwares result in both positive and challenging outcomes that affect what an illustrated book is today. One positive outcome of these technological advancements is the expanded creative horizons for illustrations. There are now endless options relating to illustrations such as design, resulting in much more diverse illustrated books. Furthermore, many illustration softwares are easily accessible allow almost anyone to create illustrations or allowing preexisting illustrators to further improve their skills.

Some challenges that may be faced however, are the overall expectations from readers and the traditional avenues for publishing illustrated books. With the endless number of technological advancements, when a reader picks up an illustrated book, their expectations are much higher, expecting better quality illustrations. This results in an ever changing idea of what an illustrated book is supposed to be. Secondly, with digital platforms such as e-books dominating the publishing industry, the traditional manner of publishing illustrated books is slowly disappearing, requiring many illustrated books to be much more dynamic or flexible as to what platform they will be on.

Role in the Publishing Industry

With the development of technology it is clear that illustrated books have changed over time, intent on adapting to this ever growing demand. It is clear then, that while the expectations or definitions of an illustrated book has changed over time, this type of book has adapted to better fit what is expected or needed from it, showing that the future of illustrated books is a bright one. Furthermore, the fact that illustrated books have already existed for so long, advancing over the many ages, further proves that while technology and the publishing industry as a whole is changing, illustrated books will continue to advance as they always have.