The Life and Works of Alfred Bestall: Illustrator of Rupert Bear

The result of many years' careful and painstaking research, the author has pieced together the life of her godfather Alfred ('Fred') Bestall, who illustrated Rupert Bear in the Daily Express for thirty years (the only day he missed was to make way for Churchill's war speech). The artwork and his diaries were bequeathed by Fred Bestall to the author with the words 'you will probably want to make a bonfire of this'- which would have been a tragedy. Caroline Bott has lovingly collected Bestall's work, ranging from incisive cartoons for Punch to romantic, dreamy watercolours, and of course his Rupert Bear illustrations, with his war-time diaries to paint a remarkable picture of a gentle, very generous man, who was loved by all who met him.