The Japhet and Happy Book 1931

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Hard back binding in publisher's original colour illustrated paper covered boards, navy cloth spine. 8vo 8½'' x 7'' 160 pp. Front cover illustration of Japhet dressed as a clown and Happy as the Ring Master. Five full-page colour plates, colour, blue tinted and monochrome illustrations throughout. Labour Member of Parliament for Peterborough [his place of birth] from 1929-1931. James Francis [Frank] Horrabin was a prolific and culturally diverse illustrator. He drew his first maps for the Daily News during the Balkan Wars of 1912-13. He created the illustrations for H. G. Wells' Outline of History. After the first World War, having started as a newspaper strip cartoonist in Sheffield, he went to London to work as art director for the Daily News; he also lectured on geography at the Central Labour College in London. In 1919 he began his daily panel 'The Adventures of the Noah Family' in the Daily News. The panel eventually became a family strip cartoon, which has been collected into several hard back books, most notably the Japhet and Happy Annuals and Summer Books between 1932 and 1952. 'The Noah Family' moved to the News Chronicle in 1930, and was continued into the 1940's. In 1922 he created the 'Dot and Carrie' strip for the Star. His work is marked by fine colouring, well phrased sentiments and many new ways of telling tales visually. Exceptional condition copy with just very small bumps to the corners and slight fading of the navy down the spine, without any foxing. This copy has included with it the very scarce 'Noah Family' cut-out card loosely enclosed, the figures all remain on the card with a small tab beneath each. Member of the P.B.F.A. ILLUSTRATED (Picture Book). Seller Inventory # 41415

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