An Illustrated Life: Drawing Inspiration from the Private Sketchbooks of Artists, Illustrators and Designers

How it reads

An Illustrated Life: Drawing Inspiration from the Private Sketchbooks of Artists, Illustrators and Designers is narrative nonfiction (illustrated art book, specifically), and its dominant mood is hopeful. Whatever it puts its people through, it believes things can get better. The pace is moderate — neither a page-turner nor a slow burn — so it holds up whether you read it in long sittings or short ones.

It's set in several locations, in no single period, told through letters, documents or mixed forms. Its central concerns are art and creativity, identity and coming of age. In weight it sits in the middle: substantial without being heavy going.

It stands alone, so there's nothing else you need to read first or after. The ending resolves happily. At 266 pages it's a quick read. It's well known, the kind of book most keen readers have heard of.