- Paperback: 116 pages
- Publisher: HarperCollins; New edition edition (1 Jun 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 006095793X
- ISBN-13: 978-0060957933
- Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 19 x 1.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,028,011 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
| ||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Nick Bantock's many fans have come to expect strange and wonderful experiences as they enjoy his beautifully illustrated books, and this newest work will not disappoint. An otherworldly mixture of surreal drawings, photographs of invented and actual objects, fake documents, altered engravings, and fictions, it follows the post-death journey of Non, the museum's curator, as he gathers together artists and collectors - narrating and analysing their lives - in a desperate attempt to escape Purgatory and enter either Heaven or Hell. Bold, brilliant, and profound, The Museum at Purgatory is yet another shining example of Bantock's unique gift for combining word and stunning image to craft an extraordinary tale. Chronicle Books will publish The Artful Dodger: The Art of Nick Bantock in Fall 2000.
About the Author
Nick Bantock is the author of several books, including the Griffin & Sabine trilogy, The Venetian Wife, and The Forgetting Room. He currently lives near Vancouver, British Columbia. *h
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
Alice Seline Winter's method of collecting had little to do with historical significance, rather it reflected her idiosyncratic perception of grace. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Alice Seline Winter's method of collecting had little to do with historical significance, rather it reflected her idiosyncratic perception of grace. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
In this book, art and pictures are entwined to create an interesting story about the afterlife and the nature of purgatory. Here, Bantock imagines Purgatory to be a place of self reflection before moving on to one of the many utopias or dystopias. The story is told through the the personal catalogues of 10 individuals, and then the second half tells the curator's tale. This is a unique, thought provoking book about what our possessions say about our characters. I will definitely be looking for more of his work.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
16 reviews
27 of 28 people found the following review helpful
A thought provoking premise with inspiring art is a winner.
28 Oct 1999
Format:Hardcover
After much anticipation for another "Nick" book, I was rewarded with this wonderfully thought-provoking novel. The whole premise of purgatory and how one travels through it is inspired. Each character comes alive as Mr. Bantock unravels their histories one by one and allows us to view their lives and their cherished possessions. The best part of this author's books is always his art and "Museum" is no exception. The art reaches far beyond collage and moves on to assemblage in a most delicious way. Mr. Bantock's constructed shrines are wonderful. I recommend this book to all current "Nick" fans and encourage all those who love alternative art to read this new book.
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
A personal mythology
3 May 2004
Format:Paperback
Bantock has a wonderful style, and this book may be my favorite among the ones I've seen.
Like the Griffin and Sabine books, it has a definitely mystical side. As the name says, it's about purgatory, but not Dante's. This is a place where people have work to do, and our protagonist works as a museum keeper. That sets the scene for a series of peculiar vignettes, the kind that make just a little too much sense.
Also like G&S, there's a distinctly autobiographical sense about the story. The last section is explicitly a fictional autobiography. Somehow, though, the stories have a grounded feeling that doesn't let me believe they are pure fantasy.
As much as I like the G&S imagery, I like this better. Bantock has moved his improbable talent for assemblage and collage into 3D. He has created several series of fictional artifacts, are as complex and multifacted as his works on paper. These images, so many being photos, have a clarity that G&S sometimes lost.
This is a brief but very enjoyable book, and one worth re-reading. The pictures just get better with each reading, and the stories seem to stay fresh.
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Engaging picture book for big-brained grown-ups
20 Dec 2002
Format:Paperback
Of all of Bantock's books, this is the one that has the most accessible premise and text (though "The Venetian's Wife" is nearly just as much so and even more fun to watch unfold). His books are many things at once: a mystery, a coffee table art book, a love story, a "Where's Waldo?" for grown-ups, and this book captures most of these elements (no love story for once) with ease and is a great starting place for people who might find the concept of picking up what is essentially a grown-up's picture book less daunting.
The concept of a limbo-like place for the dead to decide/uncover their ultimate fate is engaging and the narrarator - "Non" - does a fine job of carrying us along the thread of the mystery of the place and even himself...moreso in this book than in most of the others.
It isn't bantock's best book, but it is the one you might want to recommend to someone who isn't familiar with his work and might be self-conscious about being seen with a book with pictures. The art in this book isn't quite up to par with the art in his other books, and there's a more stark presentation here (lending itself fine to the museum concept, but not as much eye candy as we're accustomed to in a Bantock book), but it's still a fine book.
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
