BLAKE, Quentin

“Sometimes people think drawing and painting is mucking about when actually it is a highly skilled activity” 

Quentin Blake is an illustrator and author of primarily children’s fiction. He was born on the 16^thDecember 1932 on the outskirts of London and Kent. Despite being never especially encouraged to draw in the early years of his life, the young Blake drew incessantly and before he was even finished at the local grammar school Blake had already had his drawings published in Punch. A huge achievement especially when Blake had had no formal art training. 

Blake read English at Downing College Cambridge and then Education at London University before moving on to illustrate his first children’s book in 1960, A Drink of Water, written by John Yeoman. He published Patrickin 1968 which was the first of his works to be written and illustrated by himself. His achievements in children’s literature are impressive, and in 2002 he was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Award, the highest recognition available for creators of children’s books. His other collaborations include Michael Rosen and John Yeoman with his most famous and iconic collaboration being the work he did with Roald Dahl’s novels. He has published a great many of his own stories as well as collaborations and from 1999 to 2001 he was the inaugural British Children’s Laureate. 

By 2006, Blake had illustrated 323 books.

Click here to view our current stock of first editions illustrated by Blake.