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the cycling cartoonist. an illustrated guide to life on two wheels. dave walker. blloomsbury hardback 143pp illus. £10.99

cycling cartoonist - dave walker

i read recently of a new book entitled giles' war edited by tim benson, a reputed expert on the histroy of the british political cartoon. the subject of this esteemed publication was carl giles, a cartoonist who rose to fame through publication of his work in the leftwing sunday newspaper reynolds news, which, surprisingly, contained no words of wisdom on how one might braze or weld tubing such as 531 or 653.

giles, a lifelong socialist took his appreciative audience by suprise in the autumn of 1943 by shifting lock, stock and ink to the publication owned by tory peer, lord beaverbrook: the daily express. i recall my late father being particularly in thrall to the lavish and comical illustrations of giles, even though i as an apolitical halfwit (a state of affairs that continues to this day), frequently hadn't a clue about that which giles was trying to impress. of course, his work did take the odd digression; he was well known and loved for his support for the royal national lifeboat institution, providing them with illustrative humour that was frequently sold in the form of christmas cards and calendars to swell the coffers of this invauable organisation.

cycling cartoonist - dave walker

when fred r barnard used the phrase "One look is worth a thousand words" in an advertising trade journal appearing in the 1920s, he fostered the modern usage of the phrase that may well have helped the case of political cartoonists such as carl giles. whether this was intended as a bolstering of the advertising industry or as a comment on the general standard of literary education at the time is not altogether clear, but it's a philosophy i've come across more than once in my time in even the fringes of the publishing industry. and there is no doubt that a succinctly crafted illustration or image can frequently put across an idea or message that several paragraphs might only serve to further obscure.

cycling cartoonist - dave walker

such would appear to be the forte of cartoonist, dave walker. though a cartoon from the pen of a consummate humourist can provide a platform for joviality, it can also serve to put across a message in an effective but no less forceful manner than a soapbox speech or written manifesto. the cycling cartoonist achieves pretty much everything i'm sure the author/illustrator intended, whether it be self-deprecation on behalf of a cycling audience or reinforcement of the iniquities visited upon an allegedly eccentric portion of society.

of course, i realise i have completely undermined the premise on which my review is based, having written several hundred words about a book i am claiming works a thousand times better than that which i offer as commendation. such is the nature of the beast.

cycling cartoonist - dave walker

walker has included features such as cycling uphill - levels of severity consisting of several lines drawn on the page accompanied by helpful descriptions as to their illustrative efficacy, including one entitled "line drawn accidentally whilst compiling book. this faces another which allegedly demonstrates the author's regular route "showing gradients, headwinds, and angry dogs." such light-hearted humour, however, is contrasted with pages demonstrating potential hazards to be found along any route, reasons why people don't cycle ("main reason: idiots who might kill you" captioned above a drawing of a car) and cycling safety amongst others.

dave walker's cartoons are noticably less sophisticated than those of carl giles, but probably no less effective for that. i would be very surprised if there wasn't at least one page in this book with which any subculture of cyclist could not identify. i have made a career out of taking my cycling seriously but not taking myself too seriously and there seems every likelihood that mr walker is of similar mind. you'd need to be a cyclist well acquainted with the way of the handlebar to have the perspicacity to illustrate a trip to the off-licence in the manner of a tour stage profile. and that goes every bit as much for a page entitled "the cycle route" depicting the various potential hazards to be encountered along the way. according to the asterisked subtitle, "all obstructions* are removed from the path of the cyclist - *except traffic, pedestrians, parked cars, signs, trees, idots etc., etc.

a serious book in a fun setting.

thursday 6 july 2017

twmp ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................