Synopses & Reviews
Despite all the visual distractions of the digital age, one low-tech form of mass communication remains as popular as ever: the lost pet poster. Stapled to telephone poles and bulletin boards in cities and suburbs worldwide, these often hastily made signs are quirky combinations of hand-drawn illustration, emotional longing, and surprisingly offbeat humor. For more than a decade, artist and animal lover Ian Phillips collected lost and found pet posters from around the world.
LOST features the most notable selections from Phillips's collection chosen for their cleverness, humor, sorrow, entreaties, rewards, and—in several instances—sheer outlandishness. Featuring a veritable Noah's ark of animals—from everyday pets such as dog, cats, hamsters, and turtles to more unusual companions, including ferrets, parrots, cows, and cockatiels—these remarkable posters are their own form of folk art. Telling tales of friendship, loss, and hope, they are a powerful testament to the love and devotion shared by pet owners everywhere.
Review
"[Lost is] a book devoted to a poignant folk art....Cute and compelling." Sunday Telegraph Magazine
Review
"Lost for all its apparent oddity and awkward comedy is a book that tells a story on every page."
Review
"Lost is an interesting, telling and worthwhile collection." January Magazine
Review
"A handful of maudlin crayon drawings by children are mixed in with striking and sometimes witty drawings and collages selected by Toronto-based illustrator Ian Phillips, who collects these posters." Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
One of the first impulses of an owner who's lost a pet is to canvas the neighborhood with quickly made posters. And even if we haven't seen the wanderer in question, many of us stop to read these notices, which are often charming combinations of heartfelt pleas, humor, and handmade art.For the last decade, Ian Phillips has collected lost pet posters from around world. In Lost, Phillips selects from his vast collection those posters notable for their cleverness, humor, sorrow, entreaties, rewards, and-in several instances-sheer outlandishness (Lost Lost Lost: one brown and white 'mottled' street duck. Does not answer to the name of Neither Norman). For designers, artists, or anyone who wants to tap into the human and creative side of our everyday lives under stress, Lost is a book that tells a story on every page.As a collection, the posters represent an authentic folk art that expresses a commonality between the readers and the makers from the United States to China. For pet owners everywhere, and for anyone who has very stopped to read a lost pet poster, Lost is a heart-warming tribute.
Description
One of the first impulses of an owner who's
lost a pet is to canvas the neighborhood
with quickly made posters. And even if we
haven't seen the wanderer in question,
many of us stop to read these notices, which
are often charming combinations of
heartfelt pleas, humor, and handmade art.
For the last decade, Ian Phillips has
collected lost pet posters from around
world. In Lost, Phillips selects from his vast
collection those posters notable for their
cleverness, humor, sorrow, entreaties,
rewards, and-in several instances-sheer
outlandishness ("Lost Lost Lost: one brown
and white 'mottled' street duck. Does not
answer to the name of Neither Norman").
For designers, artists, or anyone who wants
to tap into the human and creative side of
our everyday lives under stress, Lost is a
book that tells a story on every page.
As a collection, the posters represent an
authentic folk art that expresses a
commonality between the readers and the
makers from the United States to China.
For pet owners everywhere, and for anyone
who has very stopped to read a lost pet
poster, Lost is a heart-warming tribute.
About the Author
Phillips is an illustrator and designer for books, magazines
and newspapers. He runs a small press under the imprint
pas de chance which publishes hand bound editions of
poetry and short stories.