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Brushes & Bayonets
by Lucinda Gosling

Whilst pondering which book from our 41,000+ stock I could write about for our 'featured book' article this month, I happened to glance up at the shelf in front of me and there was 'Brushes & Bayonets' by Lucinda Gosling, calling to me.

This is a book of Cartoons, Sketches and Paintings of World War I. Not being particularly interested in World War I (I never was a fan of history), it must have been the 'Cartoons, Sketches and Paintings' part of the title that caught my eye, as well as the dimensions of the book - it is large (9.75" high x 12" across) and heavy (1.5kg).

'It is often said that a picture is worth a thousand words, but during World War I newspaper illustrations were worth far more, not only conveying the news to anxious families at home but also entertaining the troops on the front line and lifting the spirits of a nation at war. This thematic collection of 250 illustrations taken from the archives of the Illustrated London News includes the whole range of magazine and newspaper imagery, from light-hearted strip cartoons and line drawings, through political comment to poignant sketches and paintings. The selection features well-known illustrators, such as Bruce Bairnsfather, W. Heath Robinson and Fortunino Matania, lesser-known artists and also illustrations by men in the trenches. A valuable source for historians (that word again!), many of these illustrations are published for the first time in 90 years, and together they are a unique, bittersweet portrayal of the Great War.' *

Below: "Well, if you knows of a better 'ole, go to it". Bruce Bairnsfather, The Bystander, 1915

The author is unapologetic in leaning towards the humourous, light-hearted material of the time which, in many ways, seems to capture the spirit of the magazines and perhaps the spirit of the people who read them.
The illustrations selected by Lucinda Gosling are sorted into various themes which are suggestive of preoccupying topics of the time. Some of the chapters included are:

'Over by Christmas' - The Outbreak of War
'Who's for the Trench, Are You, My Laddie?' - Enlistment, Recruitment & Training
Business as Usual - The Home Front
The Blue Pencil - Reporting & Censorship
Carrying On - Women & War
Venus & Mars - Love & Marriage in Wartime
'The Day' - Victory & Peace

I think this is a lovely book. It captures the imagination as to what it must have been like to live during the time of the Great War, making history accessible to all, including 'non-historians' like me. It is also a tribute to the artists themselves as you can see from the tiny selection of illustrations from the book which I've included in this article.

Right: "In no Man's Land"

Contributed by Sonia

* extracted from the rear cover text.

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