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The Magic Bookcase
  • Published: 10 November 2020
  • ISBN: 9781662650017
  • Imprint: Astra Publishing House
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 32
  • RRP: $49.99

The Magic Bookcase



Hans Christian Andersen Medalist Robert Ingpen brings classic stories to life in a collection that serves as his magnum opus to the imagination.

Featured in New York Times Book Review "8 Picture Books About Books"

World-renowned illustrator Robert Ingpen begins his magical journey through the world of classic children's stories with a mural he worked on for years, inspired by the great storybook characters. The original mural is more than 20 feet long, but Mr. Ingpen knew he had to find a way to turn that work into a book in its own right. This book contains some of his favorite quotations from the stories that inspired him, as well as an eye-popping fold-out centerpiece with a reproduction of the full mural. This book is an eye-popping illustrated celebration of the power of imagination.

  • Published: 10 November 2020
  • ISBN: 9781662650017
  • Imprint: Astra Publishing House
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 32
  • RRP: $49.99

About the author

Robert Ingpen

Robert Ingpen rose to prominence with his illustrations for Colin Thiele's Storm Boy. However, he is as well known for his work with environmental, conservational and historical projects as he is for writing and illustrating children's books. He was one of the founders of the Australian Conservation Foundation and is responsible for designing the flag and coat of arms for the Northern Territory and stamps for the Captain Cook Bicentenary and the 50th anniversary of CSIRO. He has also worked for the United Nations, designing pamphlets on fisheries.Ingpen was born in Geelong in 1936. After studying art at RMIT, he worked with the CSIRO, specialising in relating design to scientific research. It is this early experience, and his diverse interests that mark Robert Ingpen as an exceptional illustrator, combining fantasy with science and history with the present. His illustrations for Beginnings and Endings with Lifetimes In Between are an exquisite example of his talent. Robert Ingpen won the international Hans Christian Anderson Medal in 1986, for his illustrations, and the Dromkeen medal in 1989.

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Praise for The Magic Bookcase

Featured in New York Times Book Review "8 Picture Books About Books" "“A goblin named Tally guides readers through a more-than-20-foot-long foldout reproduction of the massive mural Ingram painted of ‘a room with bookcase walls’ where instead of the great storybooks themselves their most colorful characters come alive." -- New York Times Book Review "Ingpen spins a fantastic spell in this imaginative book....Beautiful to look at...these pictures absolutely deserve to be pored over." -- Read and Reviews blog