This is Iconic. Another generation of children are enjoying Miroslav Sasek's classic This is series of books. Eighteen in all, they introduce children to the people, customs and places of interest in cities and countries around the world. The text might seem a little quaint today, but it's the illustrations that really steal the show.
Using vibrant color and stylized drawing, Sasek captures the personality and flavor of each city or country in a way that appeals to both children and adults.
Originally intended to do just three This is books, Sasek kept going when they were received with such critical and popular success.
The series began with This is Paris in 1959 and ended in 1974 with This is Historic England. In between were books on London, Rome, New York, Edinburgh, Munich, Venice, San Francisco, Israel, Cape Canaveral, Ireland, Hong Kong, Greece, Texas, the United Nations, Washington D.C. and Australia.
In 2003, the Universal imprint of Rizzoli began reissuing the books in pairs and have now released 12 in the series. The books are widely available and sell for about $12 at Amazon. They make a great souvenir after a trip or to build excitement before one. They're also great for your kids to do some armchair traveling.
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
I absolutely love the illustrations in these. And at $12 a book, they're cheap enough to buy a second copy, cut a few pages out, and frame them. They'd look so fun in a colorful nursery!
view emilymch's profile
i've been collecting these as they're reissued ... and my house is kid-free. i just love the illustrations and, as you said, they're a great thing to pick up if you've visited the featured destination.
view anh-minh's profile
These are amongst the best children's books out there, for little and big kids alike!
view gregory's profile
Miroslav Sasek's work is part of the Czech graphic tradition. I collect Czech movie posters, and there are some gems out there. Check out the work of Jiri Salamoun
http://obchod.kinosvetozor.cz/index.php?cPath=26_30_54
(especially his Oliver poster)
Adolf Born
http://obchod.kinosvetozor.cz/index.php?cPath=26_30_89
And all the others
(especially the stuff from the sixties):
http://obchod.kinosvetozor.cz/index.php?cPath=26_125
http://obchod.kinosvetozor.cz/index.php?cPath=26_64_106
view mschatelaine's profile
My Franco-American twins are enjoying "This Is Paris" and "This Is New York" - love the illustrations and simple text.
view sojudesigns's profile
I'm now horrendously tempted to cut apart This is San Francisco and do an entire series on the loft accent wall. That'd be our bedroom, as we don't have urchins.
view wende in the twin cities's profile