A beautiful book published by the History Press of 84 of my favourite book cover illustrations. Each printed actual size and in glorious colour, with notes on their creation written by me and comments from some of the authors.

Limited time offer just £14 incl postage for a signed copy.

Reviews

‘What a beautiful book this is! It’s lovely to hold, the paper quality is good, and you just want to feast your eyes on the gorgeous colours. I started buying the Folk Tales books as I’m a storyteller, but I got pulled in by Katherine’s beautiful cover illustrations. In this book the artist explains how she chose which stories to illustrate, and what processes were involved. There are also comments from the books’ writers, and you can see that a dialogue has taken place between story, teller, and artist. It’s a fabulous combination and this is a fabulous book!’ Flettie

‘A delicious feast for the eyes and the imagination! I have long drooled over Katherine’s work, and was pleased to see she’d been commissioned to do many of the History Press Folk Tales covers. Probably because of this, I now own a fair few of these books, and found some fascinating local stories that make the landscape come alive.
I was really pleasently surprised to find the quality and quantity of this publication. Much more weighty than I imagined it would be.
Katherine’s book is a real treat for the eyes, and one of those coffee table books that allows you to dip in, read a short story and anecdote, and have Katherine’s illustrations to whisk your imagination away.
Thoroughly recommended!’ W Shrubsall

‘First, a storyteller falls in love with a traditional tale and tells it with skill and heart. They write it down for the History Press collection, ready to send out into the world. How will it find its way to those who need it? The cover art is the key! The artist Katherine Soutar soaks herself in the stories until one of the characters steps out of the mist, calling to her. Sketching, Katherine inhabits their world. She builds up layers of ink and watercolour, until their eyes shine through. Otherworldy beings crowd the pages of this book: shapeshifter, leprechaun, ghost dog. They reach out to us from story worlds, surrounded by botanically accurate flowers and trees, glistening water, forbidding ruins. The paintings are beautiful, eerie, unsettling. The commentary about how each one came into being is rich in insight and wisdom. This is a gorgeous, fascinating, book!’ Tom Muir