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| How and Why Explorations and Discoveries Book |
I've find nothing in the fantasy guy' bios and obituary articles to indicate that that he did a lot of art in children's history and science books prior to doing all those fantasy covers. However, the art style is similar, so I wonder if it is the same guy.
The book contains articles on the great European explorers and conquerors. As is the case with many such books, it focuses on the conquerors and discoverers, instead of on the conquered and the people in the discovered lands. |
| Darrell K. Sweet fantasy art |
As for my copy of this book, it is off to the Free Little Library today or tomorrow, to find some new readers
Addendum: The two Darrell Sweet's do indeed seem to be one in the same. Thanks, BB, and also PJ.
17 comments:
The odds of two illustrators having the same name are quite small. There is a blog about the
How And Why series. The blogger has photos of most of the 5000 series,
including yours, but is missing about five of the 70+ books in the series. (should you have any of the five, I bet he would be overjoyed)
Thanks for the excellent information. That variant is the UK version, I see now.
The other (?) Darrell Sweet did a lot of illustrations on these. I'd think it would have crept into the bio of the fantasy illustrator if they were the same?
There is reason to think there is only one Darrell Sweet, illustrator. He graduated college in 1956, majoring in fine arts and served in the Army. He (or the other he) did work for Readers Digest prior to 1960. At a rare book site we find 'the How and Why Wonder Book of Reptiles and Ambibians illustrated by Sweet in
1960 alongside some of his fantasy work in the 1980s. Given that Sweet worked on
landscapes and westerns as well, it seems
very probable that the works are all by the same prolific artist.
Since Sweet passed away in 2011,
he cannot defend himself and we are left sorting through the mystery. fun
The 1960s 1980s link, I think is proof enough that the two are the same!
BB, you need to get a blog of your own. It'd be great.
I guess you guys reached the conclusion without my vote. What I was going to say was that someone I know who has made a big reputation as a Western artist did textbook illustration for hire during college. That work isn't necessarily what you'd put on your grown-up resume, however.
The illustrations on the DKS covers I think are pretty good, though.
Remembering a few other posts like this, I have made a keyword and linked the previous posts into it:
Fantasy Cover Art
I don't read fantasy books, so I can't comment on this post, but why comment moderation? On the Contra O'Reilly blog you say someone is spamming you?
This is very cool. Seems to me that Darrell was pretty consistently an illustrator of writers' fantasies . . .
Illustrator Betty Beeby, who will celebrate her 90th birthday this summer, did lots of books - and cereal boxes and (my special favorite) cels for "Captain Kangaroo"! Her special favorite is, I believe, the mural at the Michilimackinac Visitor Center.
Illustrators, like writers, turn their hands to this and that, just going off to work every day, paying the rent.
I don't know how you do it, but so many books or pictures you come up with are so rare.
I have never heard of "How and Why Wonder Book of Explorations and Discoveries"
Sounds fascinating. I may have to look into this, since I have such a love of books.
Hi Barlowe, the spam is gone. Some others moderate their blogs, I am used to it now. The problem is gone. I just approve anything but the spammers.
Torch: I also recall Beeby for "Breath Escaping Envelopes". I've heard of that mural.
Leticia. Thanks also for commenting. We also had a bunch of others of the How and Why books. Some got cut up to use in movies.
A final note on the artist . The Ballard Funeral Home in Cody, WY,
had their own obit and comments when he died. There was a section for remembrances and the one that struck me as perhaps the best one can say about a person: a young lady checkout at the local Walmart
wrote "everytime he came in he was nice to me" PJ is correct, he spent his final years doing western art, one of those rare careers making a living doing something one loves.
Thanks for more info! I have read dozens of books with his covers.
You know I guess I do pick books by the cover. I was a fan of the old artwork. As a kid I mostly saw art work in the Church and of course in comic books. The artwork of Sweet reminds me of the artwork in church and the Jesus scene of cross carrying. The same type of body and use of shining white in the bodies. Glad to read your blog. steve
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