'Another World: Nineteenth Century Illustrated Print Culture' by Patricia Mainardi is a non-fiction book that sets out to find the origins of modern comic books and graphic novels.

Starting with the development of lithography, it is noted that this brought art and illustrations to the masses. It also brought the beginnings of caricature. Next up is the illustrated Press where newspapers begin including illustrations for stories. Throughout this is the very beginnings of sequential storytelling with pictures and illustrated novels for adults.

This was a fascinating look at a field of art development that I'm particularly interested in. There are lots and lots of examples along the way to show the progression towards modern comics.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Yale University Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

The remarkable story of the stylistic, cultural, and technical innovations that drove the surge of comics, caricature, and other print media in 19th-century Europe

Taking its title from the 1844 visionary graphic novel by J. J. Grandville, this groundbreaking book explores the invention of print media—including comics, caricature, the illustrated press, illustrated books, and popular prints—tracing their development as well as the aesthetic, political, technological, and cultural issues that shaped them. The explosion of imagery from the late 18th century to the beginning of the 20th exceeded the print production from all previous centuries combined, spurred the growth of the international art market, and encouraged the cross-fertilization of media, subjects, and styles. Patricia Mainardi examines scores of imaginative and innovative prints, focusing on highly experimental moments of discovery, when artists and publishers tested the limits of each new medium, creating visual languages that extend to the comics and graphic novels of today. Another World unearths a wealth of visual material, revealing a history of how our image-saturated world came into being, and situating the study of print culture firmly within the context of art history.

What an informative and interesting book this was. Focussing on the late 18th century through to the very early 20th century, this books details the changes in illustrated print culture - from lithographs to comics, to illustrated magazines and prints.

Filled with gorgeous artworks, the book tracks the changes in the industry, especially from those at the cutting edge of those changes. Artists who strived for new and experimental forms deserve a lot of credit for what we now see as everyday.

Definitely a book for those who love the history of printed art and the development of the culture associated with it. A splendid read (if not just a little heavy in the "textbook" form.)


Paul
ARH

I found the subject very interesting and I loved all the wonderful illustrations but I found the writing to be dry and repetitive. The author has presented a history of illustrations and prints in England and France. She explains the technological advances and the impact on society as magazines and books were no longer only available to the upper classes. The author has done a lot a research and there is a lot of information in this book. Many long forgotten artists are mentioned. I really liked all the illustrations. Many are in color. Each chapter is about a form and there is some overlap. Anyone interested in Comics, Caricature, Illustrated Press, Illustrated Books and Popular Prints will find a lot of new information in this book.

In <u>Another World: Nineteenth-Century Illustrated Print Culture</u> Patricia Mainardi makes a substantial contribution to the study of the history of print culture, focusing on the period from the late 18th century to the very early 20th century.

In her introduction she tells us that she intentionally chose neither "high art" nor the minutiae of everyday life but a middle path. By doing so she fills a need to look at more than simply high art or, at the risk of trying to cover too much, at everything. What absolutely comes through does indeed affect everything as she shows how influences flow in every direction and new technologies are often tested in one strata of the field before finding more and varied uses elsewhere.

As graphic novels are (or rather have been for at least a couple decades) making strides into what is commonly called "literature" this volume serves as a wonderful precursor to the current chapter of print culture and history.

In her conclusion she points out possible areas for further research and study and, as someone not educated in art or art history specifically, I also saw many wonderful opportunities for further research in the areas of sociology, literature, history and various area studies. The end notes and bibliography are both full of excellent sources from which one could look into an area in more depth or begin a separate research project.

The academic aspect I alluded to in the previous paragraph should not be taken to imply this is a dry academic book. The writing is very good and would be accessible to any reader with an interest in the area. It is also very well illustrated and makes a beautiful addition to a library for that reason as well.

I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in the history of print culture and/or anyone who likes to look at old images from the period under consideration.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

'Another World' by Patricia Mainardi is a study of a fascinating time in the evolution of printed media. The work takes a fine tooth comb to the theories and applications of illustrated work in print media and the influence that each subculture of illustration demonstrated. We follow Mainardi through deep and often dense thoughts on comics, caricatures, illustrated books, and illustration in the media.

I have mixed feelings on Another World. The subject matter is fascinating and the author has brilliantly researched the era and processes that she writes about, but I found it very hard to get through. I wanted to finish the book as I do genuinely find what Mainardi has to say interesting and a worthy ready for those studying art and illustration history, but the writing style is heavy and reads like reference material or a college textbook. I think the complexity of the explanations and density of the text will ultimately turn a lot of casual readers off. However, the well-rounded research and perfectly curated collection that Mainardi presents are absolutely worth the effort.

"Another World" looked at developments in printing technology in the 1800s (like lithography) and how this promoted the development and popularity of caricature, illustrated magazines, comics, illustrated books, and popular prints. The author mostly talked about developments in France and England.

The author looked at the early experiments in these forms, like how the format and graphic language of comics developed as various authors/illustrators tried new things. He also talked about the first people to make illustrated magazines, comics, etc., and the challenges they faced. He talked about who bought these prints, magazines, etc., and what people thought about them at the time.

There were many pictures of these early caricatures and prints and of pages from the illustrated magazines, books, and comics. The author interpreted these pictures, which was nice since the political statements or cultural context would often have been lost on me. I found the information to be very interesting and easy to understand (though it's academic in tone). I'd highly recommend this book to those interested in illustrated prints and printing in the 1800s.