Norman Rockwell: My Adventures As an Illustrator

Following that somewhat irreverent title, I want to say I have nothing but respect for this man. He is truly an American icon. I had a paperback version of his life way back in the '70s and found it delightful (as the man, himself, must have been). Fast forward to 2009 and a trip to the Detroit Institute of Art where a huge body of his work was on display for several months. As I toured the exhibit, I recalled the honest and endearing words from that long ago paperback and realized that I wanted to read them again. "Adventures of a Illustrator" arrived and I was amazed. I now have a beautiful book on my coffee table that is filled, not only with his life story, told with humor and humility, but a generous number of illustrations; early and late, color and black and white. including all of his POST covers. Anyone who has admired this man's work over the years, from his story-filled Saturday Evening Post covers to his sensitive Freedom posters and presidential portraits, will enjoy learning the life story behind this gentle man's work.

I bought this book hoping to glean secrets of how to become a famous illustrator. What I got was the best entertainment since Mark Twain's "Roughing It". It's not, "Well, I was born here, I had a good (or bad) childhood, I went to art school, and became famous".Norman Rockwell had a quirky family, quirky neighbors, played boyhood pranks, had little boy models play pranks on him, and served in WWI by painting portraits of all his officers and quirky navy pals. He goes into ineresting detail about everyone.He tells about his teachers and classes. One teacher was George Bridgeman. (He didn't know who Bridgeman was, so he flipped a coin to see if he should sign up under him or the "other" teacher.)When he talks about his art classes, he mentions what the teachers said, and what he learned. (George Bridgman would rate all the paintings in the room, and Rockwell was dissappointed that he was only number 2 and never number 1. George Bridgeman told him, (implying that the number 1 guy was just the best at copying Bridgman), "Don't try to be number 1, be an ORIGINAL). He talks about when he submitted his first Post Cover, how intimidated he was, and if he could just paint ONE, he would be famous, happy and rich for life. (He went all the way down to the POST building, and almost didn't go inside.)I have not finished the book yet, but I don't care if Rockwell ever becomes famous or not, I am having so much fun finding out what happens next. Reading this book is like sitting down with Rockwell at his house and saying, "Tell us a funny story about something that happened in your life." He lights his pipe, thinks a minute, and decribes it so that you can see it all: the background, the people, the dialect, and then, the funny climax -- just like a post cover.I want tell you everything in the book to entice you to buy it, but then you would know all the punch lines, and I can't tell them as well as he can. So buy it, snuggle up on the couch, and have a fun time.

This is hands down the most charming & engaging autobiography I ever read in my whole life. Norman Rockwell was an amazing artist & illustrator, a wry storyteller; humble, kind & gently philosophic. I loved this book so much I gave it to several family & friends as a gift, including my own copy & had to get another.

I've been a big fan of Rockwell for a long time. I call him "The man who captured America". I can't look at his paintings without feeling nostalgic forthe United States as I always felt it was. And I felt the same nostalgia when I was a young man, looking at Rockwell's work, back in the 70s.The autobiography put me in touch with the man at last. I got to know him "in person". And I like him. There are many very funny incidents in hislife that had me laughing aloud. I felt sometimes as if I were reading Thurber, another of my big time favorites. I recommend this book if you want to get lost in a very exciting and at times adventurous trip through America and Europe. He starts with a very thorough tour through his early years learning to paint at The Art Students League in new York. Being from there myself, I enjoyed it tremendously. Now the man has become as real to me as his work, and I love them both.

I bought this book some years ago. It was a really old used copy. It's pages had turn yellow.That's usually unpleasant when you want to read a book. It seems as if it always should be new white pages staring at you.In this case it did not matter.I have always loved reading interviews or biographies about my favorite artists, so having the complete life of Norman Rockwell being told by himself was such a pleasure to read. I followed all his steps in life with great attention. From his childhood and his first steps in the profession to success and decline. In the book he's not good to himself many times. He shows himself as a man who has commited mistakes in his life as well as he has had triumphs. This makes more valuable the reading.Could a man who always do good ever exist ?I just hope it could be easier to get this book. I know there's a reprint done by the Norman Rockwell Museum, it just would be nice to have it sold by Amazon...I highly recommend this book to every illustration lover.

A great portrait of a man in the 20's, his interactions and sensibilities while becoming one of America's greatest painters.

Great Book. Very happy with purchase. Highly recommend

One of the greatest books I've ever read. It's amazing that a wonderful artist is an exceptional writer at the same time. Talk about real multi-talent. Thoroughly written, full of humor, thoughtfulness and kindheartedness.

Autobiographie de Norman Rockwell sur 430 pages (en anglais), avec 138 illustrations. Beaucoup d'information pour les amateurs du célèbre illustrateurs.

Sono contento dell'acquisto.

Better than I expected, great buy