I received the following press release from Joe Procopio announcing his foray into the publishing world. His company Picture This Press has debuted three new titles as a part of their Lost Art Books series.
Joe’s efforts are a welcome addition to any collector of early 20th century illustration and cartoons, as well as an important part of preserving artists of the past for recognition and rediscovery. I am excited by this news of a new company dedicated to preserving this field I am so passionate about. Good luck Joe! — John Fleskes
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 28 2010
Contact: Joe Procopio, joseph.procopio@lostartbooks.com, (240) 643-8714
To download a PDF of this press release: http://tiny.cc/w9tma
New publisher Picture This Press debuts with three titles on forgotten masters of graphic art
Lost Art Books series devoted to preserving early 20th century illustration and cartoons
SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND–Picture This Press, a new publishing house devoted to the graphic arts, has simultaneously released its first three volumes in its Lost Art Books series, an imprint that focuses on the illustrators and cartoonists who were nationally known figures in their day but have since slipped into obscurity. After several years of laying the groundwork for the press’ launch, gathering a vast library of material and developing a significant network of outside resources, The Lost Art Books imprint made its public debut last month at the Small Press Expo in Bethesda, Maryland, joining the ranks of independent publishers passionate about these past masters of illustration and cartoon art.
The Lost Art of Zim–Cartoons and Caricatures revives for modern audiences the hard won wisdom of a founding father of American cartooning, Eugene ‘Zim’ Zimmerman. This centennial edition collects material from America’s earliest correspondence course on how to be a cartoonist. More than a simple collection of “how to” lessons, Zim outlines an entire philosophy of life for would-be cartoonists, sage advice from decades of experience. The book is rounded out with an introduction by Zim scholar Walter Brasch and a rare biography on the artist’s life.
The father of caveman-and-dinosaur comics gets the deluxe treatment in The Lost Art of E.T. Reed–Prehistoric Peeps with a comprehensive introduction by artist/writer Stephen Bissette (Swamp Thing). This strip, which first appeared in Punch magazine, was the first to stumble upon the comic goldmine of throwing prehistoric men and dinosaurs into anachronistic situations. It became hugely influential, and a clear line can easily be drawn from Reed’s Prehistoric Peeps straight through the decades to television’s The Flintstones. Reed deserves further celebration for the remarkable draftsmanship he brought not only to Prehistoric Peeps but also to the cartoons he produced as a parliamentary caricaturist and social satirist, all of which are examined in this volume, the first of its kind ever devoted to Reed and his work.
A neglected master draftsman finally receives the attention he deserves in The Lost Art of Frederick Richardson. This volume presents over a hundred illustrations from his prolific final years as a newspaper artist for the Chicago Daily News. All that is known about Richardson’s life can be found in the introduction by fantasy writer Ruth Berman and well-known mathematics and science writer Martin Gardner. This collection-the first of its kind in well over a century-will leave modern readers wondering what today’s newspapers might be like if they aspired to this level of enchantment and artistry.
Picture This Press founder Joseph Procopio along with his co-publisher Ellen Levy have a combined 35 years of publishing experience, having worked as editors and writers and directed publications departments for a variety of organizations. Matching this level of expertise with their passion for the material will result in many more books aimed at introducing modern readers to these great artists of the “golden age” of cartooning and illustration.
About Picture This Press is dedicated to broadening the appreciation and awareness of the artists who work in the fields of illustration, cartooning, graphic arts, photography, and poster design.
Lost Art Books, the flagship series from Picture This Press, collects and preserves the works of illustrators and cartoonists from the first half of the 20th century. Too many of these artists have gone under appreciated for too long, with much of their work uncollected or unexamined for decades, if at all. The Lost Art series of books aims to preserve this cultural heritage by re-introducing these artists to new generations of working artists, historians, and admirers of things beautiful.