Bantock, Nick

The Griffin & Sabine Trilogy Boxed Set: Griffin & Sabine/Sabine's Notebook/The Golden Mean

Average customer rating:

A truly unique set
Worth a hundred smiles
Beautiful & Inspiring
Griffin & Sabine Fun for Readers and Crafters
Griffin & Sabine Trilogy

The Griffin & Sabine Trilogy Boxed Set: Griffin & Sabine/Sabine's Notebook/The Golden Mean
Nick Bantock
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Griffin & Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence

ASIN: 0811806960

Amazon.com

Few books are more romantic than this trilogy, nor more surreal. Griffin Moss is a rather doleful, lonesome, gaunt, and haunted postcard designer in London. Sabine Strohem is an illustrator of stamps living on an island in the South Pacific. One day Griffin gets an extraordinary letter from Sabine revealing that she knows all kinds of things about his life and work--somehow, she can share his soul from afar. They start exchanging love letters, yet it remains an open question whether Griffin and Sabine are two hearts that mystically beat as one, or simply illusory. "You're a figment of my imagination," Griffin accuses Sabine. "You cannot turn me into a phantom because you are frightened," Sabine replies. Phantom or soul mate, Sabine is pursued across the globe by Griffin in an increasingly impassioned fashion, and the mysteries deepen.

The legendarily popular trilogy of books containing the Griffin-Sabine correspondence literally contains the correspondence: postcards, front and back, and letters in envelopes pasted into the book, which the reader must open and read--a temptation few can resist. Nick Bantock's story was way ahead of the computer game Myst, with which it shares a moody allure. Bantock designed hundreds of book covers (for Philip Roth, John Updike, and others) before he fled London for a lovely island off the west coast of Canada with his rather Sabine-like artist wife and became improbably famous by dreaming up this trilogy. His artwork is gorgeous, and countless romances have been intensified by exposure to that of Griffin and Sabine. --Tim Appelo

Customer Reviews:

A truly unique set.......2007-06-08

These are just beautiful books...a thin but intriguing story line but extraordinary presentation with wonderful art. Read the letters in the envelopes or the postcards... They're unlike anything I've ever seen. We're giving each of our kids a set as gifts.

Worth a hundred smiles.......2007-05-12

I give this book an "All the Stars in the Sky."

Beautiful & Inspiring.......2007-02-21

I first stumbled upon Griffin & Sabine in a tiny bookshop on my college campus. Years later I still re-read it and think about it often. The story is enchanting and the format of reading the correspondence through letters and postcards is very engaging. The artwork is creative and lovely as well, and I find myself returning to the books for inspiration again and again. Owning the boxed-set is a dream come true, as you'll want to read the other books as soon as you finish the first!

Griffin & Sabine Fun for Readers and Crafters.......2007-01-16

The cashier at the bookstore recommended Nick Bantock when she saw me buying Legacy and Somerset magazines. What a wonderful surprise it was! The concept is so clever. The story is told through journals and letters, and is compiled like an altered book. Very satisfying for a voracious reader and compulsive crafter!

Griffin & Sabine Trilogy.......2007-01-04

This is one of the best gifts I have ever given.

Average customer rating:

Bantock scores another win with this trio!
Griffin and Sabine live on!
Well played Nick, you took our money and didn't deliver.
storyline doesn't quite live up to the artwork
Resistant to change

The Morning Star 3-Volume Boxed Set
Nick Bantock
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Museum at Purgatory (Byzantium Book)

ASIN: 0811845095

Book Description

The Griffin & Sabine saga has sold over 3 million copies worldwide, led to 12 international editions, and spent over 100 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list. Both longtime fans and new readers will be thrilled to see the series in an exquisite boxed edition. The Morning Star trilogy (The Gryphon, Alexandria, and The Morning Star) is now available in a stunning red slipcase-a handsome complement to the Griffin & Sabine 3-Volume Boxed Set. A fantastic gift for lovers of art, mystery, and romance, here is an essential purchase for both new and tried-and-true Nick Bantock fans everywhere.

Customer Reviews:

Bantock scores another win with this trio!.......2007-06-10

Anyone who was captivated by the first three books in Bantock's imaginative Griffin & Sabine series--whether for the quality of the storytelling, the imagery, or even just for their creative design--owes it to themselves to check out these three followup volumes, which are every bit their equal on all counts. Even readers who are entirely unfamiliar with the Griffin & Sabine saga will, I think, find this trio a real treat and well worth the purchase price.

Griffin and Sabine live on!.......2007-01-10

This continuation of the Grifin and Sabine trilogy is fantastic. I read all three books in one sitting.

Well played Nick, you took our money and didn't deliver........2006-11-22

City girl and I recently read the six books. It was a delightful, warm, fun time, drinking wine and reading a book a night by the fire. I read aloud the male parts and she the female. We would laugh and wonder and hypothesize and puzzle over the meanings. They were wonderful memorable evenings.

My opinion of The Books:

He should have stopped at the first one!!

Like a movie company that sees dollar signs after a successful first run, Nick wrote a sequel that was a shadow of the original. The subsequent books prove to be good evidence that he had very little in mind as far as a story line goes and with the judicious application of vague, confusing and nonsensical teasings, he told us nothing. Just as "Jaws XXI" and "Halloween XVI" still brought the teenagers to the box office, so will "Sabine Becomes Cleopatra" and "Griffin Returns to Pleades" bring bring the Bantok herds stampeding into Barnes and Nobels. The cash registers will ring, Nick will smile, and the faithful will say, "May I please have some more?"

I didn't like his artwork either.

storyline doesn't quite live up to the artwork.......2006-11-18

About ten years passed for me between the time I first discovered the Griffin & Sabine trilogy and this Morning Star box set. It's hard to judge this work without comparing it to the merits of the first trilogy. The lovers in Morning Star are far less interesting and their passion seems to be more about physical tension rather than the loneliness and searching that brought Griffin and Sabine together from their vastly different worlds. The villan from the 3rd G&S story is back, but why he's interested in this new couple and how they relate to G&S is only vaguely hinted at.

You still get the guilty pleasure of reading someone else's mail, but because the two lovers already know each other, there isn't a sense of the story tensely unwinding as they are trying to figure out who they are in relation to each other. This trilogy seems to sacrifice the romantic tension and suspense of the first trilogy for a more philosophical statement about the connections between people. Nick Bantock's artwork is still amazing, but the story and characters in this series aren't as compelling as the images in the book.

Resistant to change.......2006-06-01

I was a huge fan of the first 3 books. I even got a tattoo based on one of the drawings but these last 3 somehow didn't have the same magic. I fell in love with Griffin and Sabine and their relationship but could never embrace the 2 new characters we meet in the later 3 books. The artwork is just as wonderful as the original 3 but to me some of the magic of the love story was lost in the last 3. They are still fun to read and worth owning, especially if you enjoyed the original 3.

The Forgetting Room: A Fiction (Byzantium Book)

Average customer rating:

Blech.
"Forgetting Room" by Nick Bantock
Confusing
Beautiful!!
Blood is thicker than water

The Forgetting Room: A Fiction (Byzantium Book)
Nick Bantock
Manufacturer: Harpercollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Artful Dodger: Images and Reflections

ASIN: 0002251760

Book Description

When his grandfather dies, Armon inherits the family home in Ronda, Spain, and finds himself trying to unravel the surreal conundrum his grandfather has left for him. Armon begins to remember his childhood art lessons, and gradually, as his grandfather's studio takes hold of him, he finds himself pulled, day by day, toward a most extraordinary elliptic link with his past.

Binding art and text in a narrative marriage, Nick Bantock takes us to the Forgetting Room, where he teases us through a tale of discovery, revenge, alchemy, and Moorish legend.

Customer Reviews:

Blech........2004-03-19

Thank goodness this was a library copy, or I'd have felt most cheated.

The writing was clumsy, and strained at many instances. One can feel that Bantock is trying to be witty at times, but his 'set-ups' are so obvious it's paintful.
The pacing was off. There's a big lag in the middle.
The few pieces of 'art' seemed to have been thrown in because the whole story was so boring and self-indulgent.
Rich in symbolism? I find the whole exercise ponderous, and utterly contrived.

Borrow, don't buy this.

"Forgetting Room" by Nick Bantock.......2002-03-06

This book is like a breath of fresh air!!! It has a magic in a very heart felt story and its intriguing surrealistic symbolism. Aesthetically it is quite outstanding and made even more so in the intimate format of the book. I am now very eager to visit the small Spanish town of Ronda! I am sorry that it has taken me so long to discover the books of Nick Bantock, which I might add I am now collecting. As an artist I particularly identify with the author's work and have purchased additional copies of "The Forgetting Room" to share with others. The perfect word to discribe this book is that it is a treasure in its total sum of aesthetic worth and the revelation of the story!

Confusing.......2001-08-24

A beautifully designed book...not as much so as the Griffin and Sabine trilogy, but beautiful nonetheless. But this book has too many things that, to me, don't really have anything to do with the story. The concertina pages of questions for example. Even after he discovered the answers to them....what do they have to do with anything? I can't see where they fit into the storyline, except to add a bit of mystery to it. There is also the page with the instructions for the Forgetting Room. None of which were used or mentioned in the story. I know the book is meant to be surrealistic and mysterious, and it is most definately that, but it did leave me a bit confused and wondering about things. Like what was the point of the beautiful scar faced woman, Ceres. She adds nothing of worth really to the story. And why is the letter "A" the pass letter? Pass letter for what? Well, maybe this is what Bantock planned to do from the beginning, and that is to confuse the heck out of his readers. Well he succeeded with me. But I will read other books of his as it does give my brain a workout.

Beautiful!!.......2001-08-24

A beautiful book with a magical story....makes me want to paint!

Blood is thicker than water.......2001-04-18

I love the disclaimer about García Lorca's quotes, in which Nick Bantock blames any inaccuracies on his characters' faulty memories!

This story takes place in Ronda, a beautiful city in Malaga, Spain. The descriptions of the city are great, and the famous bridge ("El Tajo del Coño") is central to the story. I wish that the original painting that Armon makes of it had not been so obscured by the other elements of the collage. There were a few more things that bothered me. Paolo and Francesca are Italian names, not Spanish. "Casa", not "cassa", is Spanish for "house". The appearance of Ceres is rather superfluous, and i do not know that she provides much to the story, other than to reiterate that Rafael was a special kind of man, and we already knew that. The ghostly images and hallucinations that Armon experiences in the final chapters are also a bit over the top.

Armon goes into a meditative mode once he arrives in Ronda. Reading between the lines, it is suggested that he was ripe for the epiphany he experiences towards the end. However, the transformation he suffers, the happiness and thirst for life that envelop him so rapidly, are far-fetched. You cannot shed your skin like if you were a snake at molting time. The very essence of you remains always with you, and Armon's melancholy is Armon himself.

The best part of the book, to me, is the analysis that Armon makes of his family relationships. The introspection that he experiences in the solitude of the studio is described in an exquisite way. I wonder how much autobiographical stuff is in Armon.

This novel is to me much more satisfying that the Griffin and Sabine Trilogy, despite discrepancies, artifice and Italian vocabulary. Armon's conversations with himself make this book worth it. One of the editorial reviews calls it a 'fairy tale', and that's right on the money.

Sabine's Notebook: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Continues
Average customer rating:

Across time and space...

An experience !

A continuation of the trilogy of novelty books

Makes you want to pick up a postcard and write a friend.

Sabine's Notebook: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Continues
Nick Bantock
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Morning Star

ASIN: 0811801802

Book Description

Griffin -- Foolish man. You cannot turn me into a phantom because you are frightened. You do not dismiss a muse at a whim. If you will not join me, then I will come to you. -- Sabine

Sabine was supposed to be imaginary, a friend and lover that Griffin had created to soothe his loneliness. But she threatens to become embodied, to appear on his doorstep, in fact. So he runs.

Griffin & Sabine, the most creative and talked-about bestseller of 1991, left readers on the edge of a precipice. With Sabine's Notebook, they begin -- along with Griffin -- the fall. Once again, the story is told through strangely beautiful postcards and richly decorated letters that must actually be pulled from their envelopes to be read. But this volume is also a sketchbook and diary kept by the possibly unreal Sabine, who is living in Griffin's house in London while he wanders through Europe, North Africa, and Asia, backwards through layers of ancient civilizations -- and of himself.

Filled with her delicately macabre drawings and notations, the notebook adds a darker element of visual intrigue to their complex and mysterious world. For the thousands who finished Griffin & Sabine and asked, "What happened next?," this second volume in the trilogy provides the answers -- but raises new and even more haunting questions of its own.

Visit griffinandsabine.com!.

Customer Reviews:

Across time and space..........2006-09-03

Griffin and Sabine are located on opposite ends of the earth -- Griffin is a lonely artist in England, while Sabine is a mysterious native of the elusive Sicmon Island chain in the South Pacific. Somehow, these two unique souls manage to find one another via a postal correspondence, and it is this correspondence back and forth which comprises the Griffin and Sabine books. Griffin and Sabine come to realize very quickly that their lives are inextricably bound up with one another, and that their coming together, face to face, is of utmost importance, not only for their own sanity, but possibly for the fate of the very world. Unfortunately, meeting face to face is more difficult than each of them could ever have imagined, and their quest to reach out to one another in a world of smoke and mirrors forms the backbone of these books.

I have loved these books since I first read them several years ago, and I keep coming back to them and rereading them over and over. They are truly able to transport you from Sabines sun-drenched paradaisical island home, to Griffin's rain-soaked isolation, and into other realms that are far less easy to describe. Excellently wrought and wonderfully creative, I encourage anyone with an imagination to read this trilogy: "Griffin and Sabine," "Sabine's Notebook," and finally, "The Golden Mean."

An experience !.......2005-03-29

Reading this book is an exciting experience to read correspondence between two people who seem to touch ones life. Reading this truly does make one want to revifve the lost are of the letter. I can't wait toread the next one in the series.

A continuation of the trilogy of novelty books.......2001-12-21

SABINE'S NOTEBOOK is the second volume of Nick Bantock's trilogy that begins with GRIFFIN AND SABINE and ends with THE GOLDEN MEAN. It continues the correspondence between London artist Griffin Moss and South Seas incubus Sabine Strohem. It's a visually tantalizing book, containing actual envelopes glued to the pages with actual letters inside that can be taken out and read.

By the beginning of SABINE'S NOTEBOOK it has become clear that Sabine is merely a creation of Griffin's imagination. Griffin has received Sabine's notice that she is coming to London (on a card with no stamps...) but afraid of meeting his own hallucination he flees to Ireland, beginning a trip that will take him around the world. The notebook of the title is Sabine's record of Griffin's correspondence as she waits in his house in London awaiting his return. The connection of the story to W.B. Yeat's poem "The Second Coming" becomes much more tangible and a direct quote from the poem brings this volume of the trilogy to a finish.

Like the first book, SABINE'S NOTEBOOK is second-rate literature. Nonetheless, it is still an interesting novelty that is worth reading even though it's really Bantock's amazing images that matter. Considering that one can read the entire trilogy in about half an hour, these books aren't an undue demand on one's time. I tend to believe a young-adult audience would appreciate this books best, as I read the trilogy when I was a teenager and found them much more captivating then I did on a recent rereading.

Makes you want to pick up a postcard and write a friend........1998-11-25

Words can not describe what Nick Bantcock has combined with pictures and postcards. He actually pulls you in as you must open envelopes to read the ongoing correspondence. Buy a bottle of wine, build a fire and join your significant other for a journey that will not leave you disapointed.

Griffin & Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence

Average customer rating:

Extraordinary masterpiece of literature & art
picture perfect
Across time and space...
gorgeous!
Chapter 1

Griffin & Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence
Nick Bantock
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Morning Star

ASIN: 0877017883

Book Description

Griffin: It's good to get in touch with you at last. Could I have one of your fish postcards? I think you were right -- the wine glass has more impact than the cup. --Sabine

But Griffin had never met a woman named Sabine. How did she know him? How did she know his artwork? Who is she? Thus begins the strange and intriguing correspondence of Griffin and Sabine. And since each letter must be pulled from its own envelope, the reader has the delightful, forbidden sensation of reading someone else's mail. Griffin & Sabine is like no other illustrated novel: appealing to the poet and artist in everyone and sure to inspire a renaissance in the fine art of letter-writing, it tells an extraordinary story in an extraordinary way.

Visit griffinandsabine.com!.

Customer Reviews:

Extraordinary masterpiece of literature & art.......2007-03-08

I already had a copy of the book and bought it once again as a gift for a friend since it is both a splendid piece of literature and work of art.

picture perfect.......2007-01-02

Griffin & Sabine is an engaging little art concept book. Nick Bantock presents an eclectic set of drawings, humorously juxtaposed as a correspondence between a post-card maker (Griffin) and his psychic amanuensis (Sabine). The story - told in the form of facimile letters - is forgetable. But the pictures and accompanying detail work are well worth the price of the book.

Across time and space..........2006-09-03

gorgeous!.......2006-09-03

An amazing and gorgeous book! When this book was first released, I was a very poor, starving artist student. It was so beautiful I couldn't walk away, so I let myself splurge and bought the first book. It was so compelling that I went back and bought the next two the following day! Warning - once you start reading, you will want all of the books in the series!

Chapter 1.......2006-08-15

This is a gorgeous book, brilliant & beautiful. However, it's frustrating for a couple of reasons. First of all, this book is really just a first chapter, almost just a teaser. Second, it's very expensive. Understandably so - it's an art book as much as a [graphic] novel, and must have ridiculous production costs. But as someone with more time than money, maybe I'll just go to my local Barnes & Noble to read the later installments!

Alexandria: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Unfolds (Griffin & Sabine)

Average customer rating:

Hoping for more
The Entire Griffin & Sabine Collection is a gift!
Cooling off period
Down fall
the French postcards...

Alexandria: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Unfolds (Griffin & Sabine)
Nick Bantock
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Griffin & Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence

ASIN: 081183140X

Book Description

Alexandria will continue to delight the 3 million readers who fell in love with the epistolary romance of Griffin & Sabine. Awash with gorgeous artwork, the mystery of Griffin Moss and Sabine Strohem now entwines Matthew Sedon, an archaeologist steeped in Egyptian antiquity, and Isabella de Reims, a student in Paris whose vision holds the key to a new reality. Intrigue turns to danger and romance turns to passion as Matthew and Isabella struggle to make sense of a world-and feelings-beyond experience. Only the guidance of Griffin and Sabine, expert navigators of myth and reality, can keep them safe. Author and artist Nick Bantock brings a new sensuality and romance to his vivid dreamscapes and unique visual perspective. Alexandria is a breathtaking new chapter in a saga that has captured hearts, minds, and imaginations the world over.

Visit griffinandsabine.com!

Customer Reviews:

Hoping for more.......2004-05-17

I like the novelty and skill in Bantock's work - I like it a lot. It's just that I don't see a lot of his novelty in this second trilogy. In the first series, a man is driven to some unseen fate by correspondence from a mysterious, other-wordly being. In this series, a couple is driven to some unseen fate by correspondence from a mysterious, other-wordly couple.

The format is very evocative. It's a voyeuristic look at the letters and postcards between the dramatis personae. We actually open the envelopes and read their mail. It gives a sense of naughtiness - "Is it OK for me to do this?" It's the same format as in the first series, though. The freshness is off it, it can't be a new experience again.

I would have been a lot happier if this series gave new information. Where is Paolo, or the Sicmon Islands? Who or what is Frolatti, and what is Frolatti's involvement? How does Sabine do - well, I'm not sure what she does.

I like Bantock's layered art (even when it's over-worked) and his fascination with stamps and postmarks. I really do want to see the story of Griffin and Sabine move forward. The tale seems to have stalled, though. Perhaps his success with the original G&S has left Bantock nervous about changing his formula.

The Entire Griffin & Sabine Collection is a gift!.......2004-02-24

These books are themselves, works of art. Not for the obvious reason of a tale well told, but for the delivery of that story as well.By way of personal corresponence, the reader is immediately drawn into the story of Griffin and Sabine, and later, Matthew and Isabella. Each postcard, stamp and letter add a graphic element that ties to the story at one point or another. Reading other's mail is unmistakably fun, but one cannot help but feel protective of these two couples; are they crazy or is someone really trying to bring them harm?

My teenaged daughter introduced them to her fellow bookloving friends at sleepaway camp and they were passed around the cabin,9 girls in all, with nothing harmed or torn when they came back home with her! That's a miracle, but they knew they weren't just reading a book,too. I recommend the entire series whole-heartedly!

Cooling off period.......2003-02-01

This book has the same visual flair as the previous books- it's the narative that seems slack. To be fair, these books are more about feeling and emotion than plot, but nothing seems to happen in this one- I didn't feel it had much focus. It might be time to wrap the plot up in a book or two.

Down fall.......2003-01-15

This was a really great story told in a really cool way but with this last book it almost all gose down hill. What was mistrious is now sappy a qultia. This is the down fall of the a great story.

the French postcards..........2002-12-10

A reader noted below that two of the postcards are in French -- the same thing occurred in my copy, but I checked in another copy at the bookstore and discovered they were in English there. You may want to get it exchanged...

Urgent 2nd Class: Creating Curious Collage, Dubious Documents, and Other Art from Ephemera

Average customer rating:

Most reviewers already have it right....
Disappointing
Vintage Bantock but not a step-by-step book
GREAT book on eclectic artwork you can create!
Interesting read... not one of Bantock's best

Urgent 2nd Class: Creating Curious Collage, Dubious Documents, and Other Art from Ephemera
Nick Bantock
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 081184305X

Book Description

His internationally best-selling Griffin & Sabine saga is treasured for its blend of lyrical storyline and compelling, imaginative art. Now Nick Bantock gives a short course in visual creativity in Urgent 2nd Class. A tour through the techniques and materials which constitute his signature style, Bantock shares with readers numerous ways ways of using old paper ephemera -- maps, letters, postcards, ledgers, scraps, photos, and many more items -- to create their own idiosyncratic art. Written for people of all artistic skill levels, the materials mentioned are all easily found and inexpensive, and the processes are simple enough to do at home (and with access to the most advanced machinery used in the book, a photocopier). An inspirational guide to the simple artistic techniques which can alchemically transform ephemera into remarkable works, Urgent 2nd Class is the handbook for a new generation of visual poets.

Customer Reviews:

Most reviewers already have it right...........2007-05-28

I love Nick Bantock. In my eyes he can do no wrong. His art is simply brilliant but like others have mentioned, this is not a real "how to" book. It does give you some things to think about and there are ideas afoot but you won't come away lots of new and exciting skills. That's ok...if you are a NB fan. His creations are worth the price of admission.

Disappointing.......2007-01-21

This book wasn't what I was hoping for in that the ideas and examples are all too similar in final product. I believe that because I am not looking for altered books genre per se, this book is not for me. I would reallly like to sell it back, otherwise I am stuck with it.

Vintage Bantock but not a step-by-step book.......2007-01-20

I enjoyed Urgent 2nd Class because it was put together by Nick Bantock, who charmed me with the Sabine series and the Artful Dodger and others too numerous to mention. His images are multilayered and artful. He does talk about how some images were made (ephemera, Bantock-designed rubber stamps) but he does not show you step by step how to accomplish any particular image. And his ephemera may not be available to the average person. He does by from dealers in Vancouver BC, giving him an advantage over those in small towns.
This is not a shortcoming, however, if you have other books that show you the construction and layering of stuff. The beauty of Bantock lies in his imagination, his imagination. He does encourage the reader to use their own, and that's a gift.

GREAT book on eclectic artwork you can create!.......2006-10-29

Finally a GREAT book on eclectic art and creating some yourself! I especially love the section on rubber stamping. Enjoy!

Interesting read... not one of Bantock's best.......2006-06-19

I am a huge, long-time fan of Nick Bantock's - I can't swear to it, as all my books are in boxes and storage right now, but I'm pretty sure I have a first edition of "Griffin & Sabine". His art and text has always been evocative and exceedingly different - poetry in pictures and words.

Although I enjoyed reading this book, and found it interesting, it is not up to the same standards as his other work. You get the feeling either his publisher said "hey - it's time for another book, what are you going to do?" or he said "gee, I have all this stuff, whatever shall I do with it?"

As other reviewers have stated, this is NOT a "how-to" book, and it does not, as is stated on the jacket, "show how to alchemically transform the unexpected into your own idiosyncratic art." If you're looking for step-by-step instructions, this is definitely not the book for you. However, if you are looking for inspiration and ideas, this serves well.

The book is broken into 16 chapters and an introduction, and basically touches on the types of art the author creates, such as "Faux Mail", "Dubious Documents" and "Collage", and uses in his work, such as "Stamps", "Postcards" and "Photographs" - with short introductions to each chapter. I wish they had been longer, but then, he talks about much of his techniques and inspiration in his "autobiography" ("The Artful Dodger"), which I highly recommend.

Average customer rating:

Beautiful and atmospheric
WHY did I ever lend this book out?
A fascinating, if not exactly stupefying, puzzle
Why arn't you people reprinting this book!
PLEASE REPRINT THIS

The Egyptian Jukebox: A Conundrum
Nick Bantock
Manufacturer: Viking Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Puzzles | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

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The Artful Dodger: Images and Reflections

ASIN: 0670849448

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful and atmospheric.......2005-09-12

For those of you trying to get hold of this (as of 2005) out of print volume, I recommend ebay or abebooks. I paid only US$12 for a very nice used copy and I treasure it.

From an artistic point of view it's really a breathtaking little volume. Bantock really does put a lot of care and thought into his constructions and collages and you can spend hours examining them (as an engineer I like that sort of art!)

I did cheat and look up the answer, but for puzzle fans I would recommend sticking with it a while. I did notice that all the drawers had different patterns on the edges which appeared to be coordinates, and figured out that Ln and Wd meant lenght and width, but besides that some of the clues were truly puzzling. But then I worked on Riven for weeks and finally had to look up a cheat to finish it...

In any case, as popular as Bantock's other works are I am surprised that it hasn't been reprinted recently. If I am decoding the publishers page correctly I think that mine is a third printing, but that is not a negative since I enjoy the book collectible or not.

WHY did I ever lend this book out?.......2003-07-07

It was never returned, and I mourn its absence.

To me, The Egyptian Jukebox is the "Myst" of book puzzles. With a central theme that mixes Egyptology with Rock & Roll, woven together with intriguing little trinkets, cryptic narration, and a deceivingly simple riddle to solve ("Where do my worlds join?"), it will draw in anyone who ever dreamed of solving an ancient mystery or unearthing a lost treasure.

Many with short attention spans will discard The Egyptian Jukebox before long. There are no instructions explaining how to even begin. But if you are a creative thinker and problem solver (and perhaps just a little obsessive), this puzzle will be both amusing and rewarding. The solution will amuse you, but like a favorite novel, will leave you wishing that the book never came to an end.

A fascinating, if not exactly stupefying, puzzle.......2000-07-01

If you enjoy puzzles which carefully interweave illustration and prose, this is a good pick. The puzzle is challenging enough not to be boring, but it's not mind-numbingly hard like some others (notably Christopher Manson's "Maze," the only book of this genre I've liked better than this one). The illustrations are beautiful, and the aura of enigma created by the puzzle enticing. The only drawback I would cite is that once you make a certain intuitive leap in the puzzle's trickery, a bit of busy work lies before you to finish. But reaching that leap is reward enough. A good pick, if you can track it down.

Why arn't you people reprinting this book!.......2000-03-18

I want to read this book very much but it has told me the same this for months, that it is not avalible! If any one knows where to get this book else where email me! locust@snet.net

PLEASE REPRINT THIS.......2000-01-25

I have just entered the magical world of Nick Bantock and am just itching to read more. This book was listed on the cover of The Museum at Purgatory. I would love to help unravel the mystery. PLEASE REPRINT!

Average customer rating:

pleasing gift
Perplexing
What happened?
Illuminated?? I'm still in the dark...
The un-story

The Morning Star
Nick Bantock
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 081183199X

Book Description

The mystery that began with a single enigmatic postcard reaches its dramatic conclusion in The Morning Star. Three million readers the world over await this last chapter of the best-selling Griffin & Sabine series, a volume of gorgeous artwork and passionate correspondence that crosses oceans and transcends realms. In these sumptuous pages lies not only the fate of Matthew Sedon and Isabella de Reims, but that of their unexpected kinship with Griffin and Sabine, as the long-distance lovers are drawn ever further from the safe haven of logic into a magical maze beyond the certainty of experience. Author and artist Nick Bantock draws on myth, memory, and his limitless imagination in a saga that has resonated with readers and lovers everywhere. The Morning Star marks the final destination on a journey across fabled landscapes and the uncertain terrain of the human heart-one to be savored and remembered long after the last page is turned.

Visit griffinandsabine.com!

Customer Reviews:

pleasing gift.......2007-01-19

Purchased the book as a gift to complete my husband's set. He was excited to get it and enjoyed reading and rereading it.

Perplexing.......2006-07-05

I could not resist getting the 2nd trilogy by Bantock but found it somewhat perplexing and or underwhelming. Maybe a book discussion group would help me understand this 2nd pairing better.

What happened?.......2004-09-28

As always, the artistic value is great, but what happened to the story? Although I did not find The Gryphon & Alexandria as compelling as the original trilogy, it still had a decent story line to follow.

I have to say that I was deeply disappointed with how the story concluded. There was no real closure, and it seemed that the ending was rushed and not really well planned out. I basically felt like this book was strictly to showcase the art rather than the text content. Such a sad thing.

It had the making of being something so classical and great, but fell flat on its face. I would recommend that readers stick with the original Griffin & Sabine trilogy and stop there.

Illuminated?? I'm still in the dark..........2004-07-12

...either that or Bantock just forgot to hit the light switch. I must admit, despite the enigmatic characters, intriguing plot twists and refreshingly exotic artwork I've come to love from this series, what I was really holding my breath for with this final installment was clarification. Alas, it didn't deliver.

I have no gripes with the story, or the whole second series for that matter, up until the final two postcards. After six books and twelve years, did Bantock just write himself into a trap? Could it be that he lost direction in the end and saw no way out but to flash-cook up a conclusion in the guise of another puzzle for us to figure out? I doubt it, but I can't help feeling shortchanged. What exactly was Frolatti, and why was he so intent on keeping Griffin and Sabine subdued (wherever the heck they were)? After so much time, why was Matthew and Isabella's reunion so vague?

I love cliffhangers as much as the next person, but not when there's nothing more to look forward to. Disappointing.

The un-story.......2004-05-17

Frankly, I'm disappointed. The original Griffin and Sabine series had a wonderful spark of originality. This series is just too derivative.

I wanted to like this new trilogy. I like Bantock's art. There is so much in each picture that I can barely pull myself away for the text. I like the new plot elements that Bantock introduced. The cat with a name, Isabella's roar - these could have been rich new elements in the G&S mythology. They never went anywhere though, and left us re-reading the G&S story in somewhat different words.

Amazon.com

As 3 million readers can attest, Nick Bantock's Griffin and Sabine trilogy is the world's most original epistolary novel. It contains (physically contains) the correspondence of Londoner Griffin Moss and Sabine Strohem of the Sicmon Islands in the South Pacific--colorful postcards and letters in envelopes pasted into the book, which the reader must open and read. In his gloriously illustrated autobiography The Artful Dodger, Bantock explains the allure of opening letters: it's "a sort of cross between Christmas and sex." And when the letters illuminate somebody else's mysterious love affair, it's all the more delicious.

Griffin and Sabine really are mysterious, and it's tricky to piece together their story from the fanciful, surrealistic bits the text, maps, stamps, and pictures provide. That's why fans will be ravenous to read Bantock's charmingly straightforward memoir, which lets us in on all kinds of secrets about his symbols and visual sources. Winged figures always signify transition, he says, "whether on a monkey, an angel, or a devil." Sabine's Sicmon Islands home derives from the English expression "sick as a parrot," which connects with the parrot on the first book's cover and expresses Griffin's ailing English soul--what he needs is a sensual, elusive Sabine to get his blood up. Both characters are warring parts of Bantock's own psyche.

You don't need to know a thing about them to revel in this book. It's spellbinding in its own right, partly for the artless narrative, but mostly for the hundreds of pictures and the fascinating intricacy of Bantock's creative process. Sabine done in ghostly charcoal and gold dust is exquisite, no matter who she might be. It's a bit spooky to learn that a 1970s French stamp Bantock bought from his local shop to go with one of Sabine's postcards turns out to have been classified as "Type Sabine" by the French Philatelic Society. It was taken from a David painting of the Sabine women, and was meant to symbolize "union"--the central theme of Bantock's trilogy.

There is plenty besides his greatest hit to delight the eye here. The book cover illustrations are arresting, particularly for Peter Ackroyd's bio Chatterton (though his depiction of T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land is drably silly). His pop-up books of Jabberwocky and The Egyptian Jukebox (a series of drawers full of museum-like objects that tell the tale of a mad millionaire's travels) are brilliant. Bantock's gift for collage does honor to his idol, Joseph Cornell, without being derivative. His wildly improbable life story proves that fate shares his enthusiasm for flights of fancy. --Tim Appelo

Book Description

With sales of his Griffin & Sabine Trilogy surpassing three million copies, it's been said that Nick Bantock has created an original literary genre. Now he brings new meaning to the art of autobiography with The Artful Dodger: Images and Reflections, in which he infuses the tale of his professional and artistic life with warmth and wit. The Artful Dodger surveys the vast and varied territory that Bantock's work encompasses: from his English art-school days to paperback covers, pure abstract experimentation to pop-up books, Griffin & Sabine to his most recent work. Bantock's own words lend a highly personal, often revealing, always entertaining angle to more than 350 resplendent images. As rich in life as it is in art, The Artful Dodger reveals the creative range of a modern graphic master.

Customer Reviews:

A pleasant collection.......2004-06-28

If you like Nick Bantock's work, you'll probably like this. It's not exhaustive, but a good collection of his work from 1970s art school through the publication date. That includes illustrations for book covers, some of which I almost remember from the original books. It includes illustrations from unpublished children's books, material not found elsewhere.

Of course, it includes extracts from Griffin and Sabine. Those may be my favorites - I think there is material here that extends the G&S story, but was never in the original books. It also covers The Venetian's Wife and Museum at Purgatory, both of which I enjoyed. There isn't enough from any of the books to spoil them for the first-time reader, though. This is a summary of Bantock's work, not a complete catalog.

There is some biographical information here, mostly covering his career from college through book publication. I was a little put off by parts of it, though. Bantock has certainly been successful as an illustrator, and rightly takes pride in that accomplishment. His pride tends towards smugness, though, not something the reader needs to see.

Still, it's a good coffee table book. It's easy to thumb through, and has material that was not already presented in his other books. It would have been even better with a bit more artwork, or at least a bit less self-congratulatory text.

Thoroughly enjoying to read and view!.......2003-06-25

After reading and loving Bantock's Griffin & Sabine trilogy I stumbled upon this book. I was thrilled to learn background information straight from the author. I loved the trilogy but was left curious about the author and the works of art themselves. I enjoyed seeing his work develop over time and found it interesting to read about how he got started in his professional art career. I also appreciate his candid comments about the publishing industry and that he shared some negative opinions of his work with us-it shows he is not arrogant or an egomaniac!

I loved that the images are laid out chronologically. This book contains a lot of previously published work but that is fine with me-how else would he discuss his works if we could not look at them while reading about them?!? I liked reading what led him to begin working on a certain project or what drew him to continue working with a medium (i.e. designing his own stamps). I liked hearing where he gathers pieces to use in his collages and how he puts his collages together. After reading this book I have an even deeper appreciation for his books and artwork.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this cover-to-cover and delighting in his gorgeous artwork. It is truly inspirational. As a person who is naturally better at writing than making art, I envy Bantock's ability to make such beautiful and thoughtful artwork!

Ok, I know that.......2001-09-28

everyone else LOVED this book. I liked it as well. But I do have his other adult books so many of the illustrations are redundant to me. Also, I find him a bit smug and self-important at times. Most of the illustrations are extremely beautiful, but I disliked the children's books artwork, it seemed to me as if a different, more immature (in the sense of mastery of the craft) artist did those. I would have liked to see more paintings that had not been already published, as this book seems a rehash of his same old stuff.

Fun and engaging work for fans.......2001-08-14

Autobiography written in a very relaxed, informal, and fun style. Excellent use of samples of his work from various times in his career as a great counterpoint to the text. Absolutely recommend this for people who are already fans of his work, and I also recommend it for people who like to learn about the creative process, how a particular artist develops their style and what their inspirations are.

A Marvel.......2001-07-27

I have always been a fan of Nick Bantock. BUt they true beauty of this book is the following: You get to view his art work and the transitions they go through from his college days on. Further he writes all about his art work at the certain time, and why he did what he did. etc... It is an upclose and personal view of this shiny artist. I was very inspired by this book as I ma an artist as well. A MUST GET

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