Sweet. Whimsical. Brilliant. What happens when a gifted artist (Maira Kalman) becomes passionate about the words in a book and sets out to reflect the style and spirit by illustrating its most fascinating phrases? And not just any book. This is an all-time best seller and friend to millions of readers: Strunk and White’s “The Elements of Style.”
From the colon on the front cover to the semicolon on the back, Kalman captures the essence of the writing and gives readers a visual treat that glows with exotic, yet serene, vibrancy.
One of my favorites is the group that illustrates the phrase, “The best way to see a country, unless you are pressed for time, is to travel on foot,” but I also adore “Her story is strange,” and “Every window, picture, and mirror was smashed.”
Long live the serial comma. Long live Maira Kalman’s art. It is good, good, good.
I hope people everywhere will rush to online and local bookstores in their quest to own this bright red hardcover edition of The Elements of Style. Remember the operative word: “Illustrated.”