By John Jensen
Published by MyBooks
ISBN: 9780755214808
One of the best books I've come across in ages is Figures of Speech by John Jensen, and for no other reason than its utterly absurd brilliance. I've read many a book about the wonders of the English language and have always delighted in its uncanny ability to bend and twist words, absorb others, and generally spit out a new one whenever the occurrence arises. So what's particularly nice is when someone with a bit of inventive word play comes along who just also happens to be a rather talented cartoonist – the result is a collection of nonsensical creatures that put a face (and sometimes several) to the things that we say.
For example, before this book, who would have known what an Uneasy Truce looked like? Or who could have said they'd gazed up an Outraged Shriek? And what about a Cross Examination? Each cartoon perfectly represents its namesake, creating page after page of bizarre but oddly fitting beasties.
The cartoons were created across John's many years working as a professional cartoonist, where he contributed work to the likes of Tatler, Spectator, Punch and to over seventy books.
There's no plot, no narrative, just one hundred and one clever cartoons. So if you're a fan of the cartoon and enjoy the exciting energy of the English language then this is a must have for your bookshelf.
And if you liked that: You might like The Da Vinci Cod by Chris Riddell
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