WRESTLING WITH A PENCIL: THE LIFE OF A FREELANCE ARTIST. by Thelwell, Norman - 1986

London: Methuen, 1986. 192 pp, 9 7/8" H. Pictorial endpapers, beautifully and profusely illustrated in colour and b&w. "For over twenty-five years Norman Thelwell's cartoons, drawings and landscape paintings have delighted millions of people all over the world. His drawings of sporting pursuits, of human beings at play and of many other countryside subjects are the product of a unique comic genius; the term 'Thelwell pony' has passed into the English language. Now Norman Thelwell has written an account of his life from early childhood to the present. For the first time he opens up his experiences as an artist and humorist, in an informal, accessible and entertaining way. He describes his early love of drawing, the development of his skills in the war, his training at art school, his career as a teacher and a newspaper cartoonist and his subsequent life as a freelance artist. He discusses his work for 'Punch', the development of his ideas, his techniques, the making of his books and his other projects. (This) is also a personal story: of his childhood in Birkenhead; his experiences as a soldier in Britain and India during and after the war; his family; his home life in Hampshire; the people he has met; the houses he has restored. This mixture of personal and professional reminiscence is rich in anecdote and makes a lively and often amusing story. It is accompanied by a wide range of colour and black -and -white illustrations. In addition to the cartoons for which he is famous there are selections from his work as a serious landscape painter and samples from a lifetime of sketchbooks." Tiny white mark on rear board, very minor edge wear. Dust jacket has very minor edge wear, light wrinkling at top of spine and flaps, very minor rubbing, 1" line indentation on spine.. First Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good+/Very Good. Illus. by Norman Thelwell..