Novels with backrounds illustrations and character portraits - question

[tomfyhr]

Have you heard of fictional novels with backround illustations and portraits of characters that goes along with the tale?

Like "Harry Potter and the chambers of secrets" but with backrounds illustratiosn and character portaits before each chapter in the novel, as new characters and places are introduced. It would help visualize the story in your own head and may even encourage non-readers to read.

I am referrng to a novel, not a picture book.

[WyattGwyon]

Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast Trilogy, besides being among the best works of fantasy fiction of the last century, contains illustrations of the major characters by the author. Peake worked as an illustrator for other books, including an edition of the Alice books.

[tomfyhr]

Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast Trilogy, besides being among the best works of fantasy fiction of the last century, contains illustrations of the major characters by the author. Peake worked as an illustrator for other books, including an edition of the Alice books.

Thanks!

Do publishers usually publish illustrations in the novel, if they are offered illustrations from the author directly, or if they are inserted into the novel itself?

Is there a reason why illlustrartions aren´t more common in fantasy novels noawadays, especially with the advent of e-books?

[WyattGwyon]

The collected edition, the trilogy under one cover from Overlook Press (Woodstock NY) contains the illustrations inset with the text. But anyone looking for high art is apt to be disappointed. The portraits are rough, quick sketches.

I don't know why illustrations aren't more common, although the added expense of commissioning them is likely be a factor. With someone like Peake, who was also an artist, one gets them for free.

[JBI]

Most 19th century books and earlier were illustrated. Many Medieval manuscripts were illuminated. In the history of the book, no illustrations, figures and visual aesthetics is the exception, not the norm. This is true of the Indian, Arabic, Persian, and Sinitic (East Asian) traditions as well. Many illustrations were also done by major artists, such as Blake, Dore, and Renoir.

[mortalterror]

Like JBI said, illustration was the norm throughout history until recent times. In medieval times many manuscripts were illuminated. Even in the 19th century artists like Gustave Dore made some fantastic illustrations for popular books like Paradise Lost, Dante's Divine Comedy, The Bible, Don Quixote, Orlando Furioso, Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient Mariner, and Poe's The Raven. At the same time William Morris was working on the Kelmscott Chaucer, and Dante Gabriel Rossetti was working on woodcuts to illustrate Tennyson. People used to "Grangerize" books pasting or drawing in pictures or other illustrations on an amateur level, sometimes rebinding and expanding novels with numerous additional pages. Also, I believe that great illustrators like N.C. Wyeth made great additions to stories like Treasure Island. Arthur Rackham was known for his colored plates of Wagner's Ring cycle, Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Gulliver's Travels, etc. Howard Pyle illustrated Robin Hood and King Arthur stories. Edmund Dulac illustrated the works of the Bronte sisters as well as Hans Christian Andersen, Poe, The Arabian Nights, and Shakespeare. Aubrey Beardsley illustrated Le Morte D'Arthur, Oscar Wilde's books, Aristophanes, and The Rape of the Lock. Tolkein has been illustrated ad nauseum since his inception. Benjamin Harff just created a medieval illuminated manuscript style version of the Silmarillion.

Illustration is expensive, and so you'll mostly only find it available in limited editions from fine press book publishers like Arion Press.

[Danik 2016]

There are also the famous illustrators of the Dickens novels and their notable character studies.
On this link one can learn about the illustrators (Including Cruikshank and Phiz) and view all or most of the illustrations:

http://charlesdickenspage.com/illustrations.html

[WyattGwyon]

The Modern Library Classics edition of Victor Hugo's The Toilers of the Sea (trans. James Hogarth) contains five drawings by Hugo.