Heroic Dreams

Heroic Dreams (1987) (by Nigel Suckling) The text, scattered throughout the book is Suckling’s essay on the concept of heroes in particular cultures and their literature. The four chapters are: Introduction, On The Border Of Chaos, Dreams Of Chivalry and The Grail Quest. There is a two-page index in the back detailing the many works that appear here and their artists. The essay is truly secondary to the page after page of art. There are six two-image pages and a failed double-page spread, but that leaves four successful double-page spreads and another 139 glorious pages devoted to single large images. Every piece is captioned with a title and the artist’s name. These visual expressions of the heroic theme range from the primitive to the far-flung future. They include spaceships and alien landscapes, as well the large swatch of the barbarian milieu (which is where the bit of nudity that is to be found is found . . .). Notwithstanding the one or two exceptions, this book seems to have been a place that the Paper Tiger editors could gather works by those artists that were their favorites, but were not going to be able to get their own collections. In all, the ‘well-presented’ painters here are: Jim Burns (14), Richard Clifton-Dey (7), Chris Collingwood (2), Gordon Crabb (4), Alan Craddock (10), Ian Craig (8), Les Edwards (24), Michael Embden (3), Peter Goodfellow (11), Peter Gudynas (2), John Harris (13)***, Colin Hay (3), Julek Heller (6), Robin Hiddon (2), David Jackson, Bob Layzell (2), Angus McKie (4), Terry Oakes (3), Dave Pether (2) and Tony Roberts (13). Note that regarding the ‘well-presented’ pieces here by Harris, some, but not all, can additionally be found in his own collection up on The List.