Much like her work, Sarah Illenberger's Bookshelf is beautifully bright and charming

Sarah Illenberger is one of the finest cross-disciplinary maker-doers out there; her own brand of singular image-making embodying all sorts of handiwork from collage to embroidery, meticulously arranged into charming still lifes. This week she is sharing her very bright bookshelf with us and we couldn’t be happier…

Wilhelm Schlote & Elisabeth Borcher: Briefe an Sarah

This book was given to me by my dad when I was seven years old. It tells the story of a father travelling the world and reporting back in form of very lovely letters. It is beautifully illustrated and actually the only children’s book I have kept.
www.amazon.co.uk/briefe-an-sarah

Chema Madoz: Chema Madoz, published by Fabrica

When I discovered this book in a bookshop in Hamburg I was flabbergasted. I had never come across his name, but have seen his stunningly clever images on some magazine and book covers. His style is slightly 1980’s, mostly black and white photographs but the content is timeless. Unfortunately the whole book is written in spanish. I am still waiting for someone to translate it for me.
www.amazon.co.uk/chema-madoz

Joel Smith: Saul Steinberg

The godfather of illustration! I went to an exhibition of his work in Hamburg last year and rediscovered his great talent. Everyone knows the famous View of the World cover for the New Yorker. This book also reveals his three dimensional work, the great in space drawings and collages. The German equivalent of Saul Steinberg must be an old family friend called Guenter Mattei who is the master of line drawing illustration. I used to spend my free time as a child in his studio in Munich. Him smoking one Gitanes after an other and me trying to get control over my watercolours.
www.itsnicethat.com/saul-steinberg

Jens Müller: Film Kunst Grafik

This book is all about the graphic design of movies in Germany in the 1960´s. Great and simple graphic ideas for movie posters by the likes of Gunter Rambow and Lienemeyer, Karl Oskar Blase, Wolfgang Schmidt and many more. My favourite being Hans Hillmann . I feel that more attention should be paid to Film Grafiks in Germany. One close friend, Darius Ghanai, does some great motion picture title design here in Berlin. I wish there was more creative and artistic freedom involved in this field but in the end distributors just have to get the theatres filled.
www.amazon.de/film-kunst-grafik

Leanne Shapton: The Native Trees of Canada

The last entry on my Bookshelf is by my favourite illustrator: Leanne Shapton. How simple can you get? One page features one hand painted tree leaf. Beautiful colours and nice touch and feel. It feels like you’re holding her personal sketch book in your hands.
www.amazon.co.uk/the-native-trees-of-canada
www.leanneshapton.com