This is M. Sasek: The Extraordinary Life and Travels of the Beloved Children's Book Illustrator

This charming biography explores the life of the acclaimed illustrator and children's author Miroslav Sasek. The first essay, illustrated with documents and personal images, covers his life from his childhood years to his career as a successful artist and illustrator who slowly climbed the ladder of fame. A second essay examines Sasek as an author, setting his work in the context of international visual art. The book is richly illustrated – from Sasek's own books as well as independent work and photographs from private archives, and even vintage fan letters from the children inspired by his wonderfully illustrated books.

Sasek was born in Prague in 1916 and died in Switzerland in 1980. He was an architecture graduate but worked as a painter and illustrator for most of his life. Starting with This is Paris published in 1958, his books painted a delightful and evocative picture of some of the world's great cities (and countries!). In 1947 he moved to Paris to study at the École des Beaux Arts, and when the Communists came to power in what was then Czechoslovakia he made the decision not to return to his homeland. He earned a living as a graphic artist (in advertising) and architect, and from 1951 he was employed in the Czech section of Radio Free Europe in Munich. In 1957, he returned to Paris, beginning work on a children's illustrated guide to that city – This is Paris – which was originally published in 1959 (reissued 2004) and succeeded by similar books on London (also 1959; reissued 2004), Rome (1960; reissued 2007), New York (1960; reissued 2003), Edinburgh (1961; reissued 2006), Munich (1961; reissued 2012), Venice (1961; reissued 2005), San Francisco (1962; reissued 2003), Israel (1962; reissued 2008), Cape Canaveral (1963; reissued as This is the Way to the Moon in 2009), Ireland (1964; reissued 2005), Hong Kong (1965; reissued 2007), Greece (1966; reissued 2009), Texas (1967; reissued 2006), the United Nations (1968; to be reissued in 2017), Washington D.C. (1969; reissued 2011), Australia (1970; reissued 2009) and Britain (1974; reissued 2008). Having delighted children and adults for more than 50 years the This is... books have all been reissued in English by Universe since 2003.