Do you like your books being illustrated?

[elvet]

The book cover thread made me think of this.
I have a few illustrated books - Lord of the Rings, The Annotated Hobbit, Chronicles of Narnia. I guess it's good and bad for me. Without the pictures, your imagination takes flight, but I'm always curious as to what the author invisioned (or seeing other people's interpretations). However, once I've sen an image, it's hard to go back to my unadulterated view. For better or worse, my Lord of the Rings experience now looks like Peter Jackson's.

I do, however, appreciate having maps in my books. When I reread Tolkien's books with an atlas guide, it really helped me get a feel for the distances and added more depth to the story.

 

[Culhwch]

Yeah, I love maps....

I think with books like LotR illustrated versions add something to the experience. I have the set illustrated by John Howe, and I think they're just beautiful. But I wouldn't want every book to come with drawings. I think they need to be of a certain standing, if you know what I mean....

 

[weaveworld]

I have never really thought about it, but the illustrations were good in my copy of LOTR. Plus in the last Dark Tower book, 'The Dark Tower', the illustrations were brilliant!

 

[steve12553]

I have editions of some of the "John Carter of Mars" Series by Edgar Rice Burroughs that have a few illustrations. On these books the characters and creatures are vividly described and the illustrations never come up to the level of my imagination even if their done by a good pulp artist. In general they're a distraction. On the other hand Burroughs' stuff did not require a lot of deep thinking, so the distraction was light.

 

[hermi-nomi]

I have only got a couple of books with pictures inside ~ The 1988 The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrel and the HHGG tie-in. I think that on the whole, I prefer books not to have pictures or illustrations. I don't particularly mind the pictures, but without the pictures there could be more words Also, the lack of pictures create the need to buy a book of illustrations such as Alan Lees the LotR Sketchbook, or Pterry's The Last Hero I gues some people might prefer not to buy more books (although you have to wonder about such people )

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

I love illustrated books (when the illustrations are good). That may be the part of me that never grew up, that still longs for picture books.

As for interferring with my ability to imagine scenes and characters, since even in the most profusely illustrated book a great many scenes and characters are not pictured I still find plenty for my imagination to work on.

The Pauline Diana Baynes illustrations for the Narnia books have always delighted me, as have her illustrations for Tolkien's Farmer Giles of Ham with all of the marvelous little people (and dogs and dragons) that look like they stepped right out of a medieval manuscript.

When a book has illustrations and I don't like them, I'm quite capable of ignoring them -- just the same as with bad cover art.

 

[Rosemary]

I don't own one fantasy book with illustrations, apart from the ones with maps. This wasn't intentional but even so, I would prefer not to have pictures.
I like to imagine for myself the characters, the scenes and scenery.

 

[nixie]

I have a few with illustrations, the Dark Tower has some very memorable ones

 

[Reader]

I would like to have pics on the first page of every chapter!

 

[Stenevor]

The only illustrated books I have are Alice in Wonderland and The Gormenghast Trilogy. I suppose they both add a bit to the books in their own way. The illustrations in Gormenghast are small pretty basic line drawings by Mervyn Peake and are too few and far between though, I would have liked to see much more.

 

[Adasunshine]

The only illustrated book I have is Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell and I think the pictures added to the feel of the book rather than hindered the story in any way!

I'm not too fussed but like Culhwch, I do think the books have to be of a certain standing to have illustrations.

I think I'm the only person on this site who isn't a big fan of maps, I just like to know where the main stuff is (cities, north, south etc) and then I tend to create my own landscape, maps sometimes confuse things a bit for me!

I understand that can make me sound stupid but thems the brakes...

xx

 

[GOLLUM]

Like others here I like illustrated books provided the illsutrations are of a good quality and in keeping with the story.

 

[Razorback]

I don’t have many SF or fantasy books with illustrations, but I like them. Maps are certainly helpful, but I also appreciate additional artwork. I agree with Kelpie in that illustrated books still leave plenty to the imagination.

 

[Nokia]

Yeah, I like maps (usually only consult them on the second or third reading though ) but I find drawings within the book somewhat distracting because it's usually quite different to what I'm imagining and so I feel like I'm not reading the book properly. I much prefer descriptive writing that paints an extremely clear picture in your mind.

 

[Lacedaemonian]

Illustrated plates spread throughout the book are tremendous! Though you have to pay top dollar for these books in todays market.

 

[kyektulu]

I too like a map in the front of a book but I dont like illustrations, a nice front cover is as far as I will go.

 

[jackokent]

I agree with Kyektulu, a map is all I can cope with. If I find an illustration I deliberatly won't look at it. They ruin the mental image I've formed about the characters. I don't even like looking at the front covers most of the time. LOTR is one exception.

 

[rune]

I only have one illustrated book and that's LOTR's. I personally dont like it, perfer without pictures.

 

[Marky Lazer]

No, I don't like pictures in books, with the exception of maps. I want my imagination to run wild, especially with fantasy books. For example, in The Lord of the Rings there is the big Balrog-wing discussion. Woudln't the charm be gone if right next to it a wingless Balrog was drawn? No matter whether you think Balrogs do or don't have wings, your imagination filled in the blanks. If you picture them for yourself with wings, you don't want to see a pathetic creature without them, surely.

Agreed, pictures can add an atmosphere, but personally, I want to make it all up myself.

 

[GrownUp]

I don't really like illustrations in books, they seem to interfere. Also I don't look too long at cover art. But, if a book is very gorgeously illustrated I do get the feeling a lot of love has gone into it. Makes it more especially valuable.

The one thing I hate *HATE* is paperback editions of fine books that are republished with photographs of actors in a film/TV adaptaion on the front.

A picture like that put me off reading 'The Shipping News' for a long time. And it irritated me when I was reading it. And it is a truly great book.

The same with my copy of 'Goodnight Mr. Tom.' It doesn't matter how great the actors are.