Heath Robinson: How to Live in a Flat - Hardcover

Robinson, W. Heath

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1851244352 ISBN 13: 9781851244355

Publisher: Bodleian Library, University of Oxford, 2015

Synopsis

Heath Robinson (1872–1944) is Britain’s “Gadget King”—master of the art of creating madcap contraptions that made use of ropes, weights, and pulleys to perform relatively simple tasks, from wart removal to peeling potatoes. Although he trained as a painter and also worked as a book illustrator, Robinson developed his forte with drawings of gadgets that parodied the absurdities of modern life. A true cartoonist, Robinson had a way of getting at the heart of the matter while simultaneously satirizing it mercilessly. He became a household name in Britain, and his popularity continues today with plans to build a museum in London to share with a new generation the story of his life and work.

How to Live in a Flat brings together a series of patently Robinsonesque space-saving solutions for city dwellers looking to make the most of modest square footage. Some of the solutions involve furniture made to serve multiple—and often opposing—purposes, like a combination bath-and-writing desk for businessmen. Others reimagine the workings of entire apartment complexes, including one cutaway explaining the use of the communal bath.

A side-splittingly funny collection from the man whose “absurd, beautiful drawings” H. G. Wells claimed “give me a peculiar pleasure of the mind like nothing else in the world,” this book make a perfect gift for anyone looking to have a laugh at our complicated and increasingly mechanical modern life.

About this title

About the Author:

W. Heath Robinson (1872–1944) was a British cartoonist. Trained in painting at the Royal Academy of Arts, he eventually became so well-known for the madcap contraptions that were the subject of cartoons in popular weeklies that a codebreaking device was named after him during WWII.

Review:

“Heath Robinson and K. R. G. Browne are a winning team, tackling a variety of everyday subjects with irresistible and incisive humour.” (Good Book Guide)

About this edition

• Publisher: Bodleian Library, University of Oxford
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1851244352
• ISBN 13: 9781851244355
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 136