The Rising Cadence of the Interrogative and Fingers and Cups

'The Rising Cadence of the Interrogative and Fingers and Cups'. Drawings from a notebook 

by John Vernon Lord, November 2007

'The Donkey', an illustration by John Vernon Lord for GK Chesterton's poem 'The Donkey' 

in The Song that Sings the Bird, poems for young children chosen by Ruth Craft, 

Harper Collins, 1989.

The text:

The Donkey

By GK Chesterton

When fishes flew and forests walked   

   And figs grew upon thorn,   

Some moment when the moon was blood   

   Then surely I was born.

With monstrous head and sickening cry

   And ears like errant wings,   

The devil’s walking parody   

   On all four-footed things.

The tattered outlaw of the earth,

   Of ancient crooked will;

Starve, scourge, deride me: I am dumb,   

   I keep my secret still.

Fools! For I also had my hour;

   One far fierce hour and sweet:   

There was a shout about my ears,

   And palms before my feet.

Lobster and Prawn

Lobster and Prawn, illustrations by John Vernon Lord in Lewis Carroll's 

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Artists' Choice Editions, 2009.

The Hatter's Shoes and a Hat Press

The Hatter's Shoes, an illustration by John Vernon Lord, in Lewis Carroll's 

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Artists' Choice Edition, 2009.

A hat press, an illustration by John Vernon Lord, in Lewis Carroll's 

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Artists' Choice Edition, 2009.

'Beautiful Soup'

'Beautiful Soup', an illustration by John Vernon Lord in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, 

Artists' Choice Editions, 2009.

The text

'Oh, a song, please, if the Mock Turtle would be so kind,' Alice

replied, so eagerly that the Gryphon said, in a rather offended tone,

'Hm! No accounting for tastes! Sing her "Turtle Soup," will you, old

fellow?'

The Mock Turtle sighed deeply, and began, in a voice sometimes

choked with sobs, to sing this: --

'Beautiful Soup, so rich and green, Waiting in a hot tureen!

Who for such dainties would not stoop? Soup of the evening,

beautiful Soup! Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup! Beau --

ootiful Soo -- oop! Beau -- ootiful Soo -- oop! Soo -- oop of

the e -- e -- evening, Beautiful, beautiful Soup!

'Beautiful Soup! Who cares for fish, Game, or any other dish?

Who would not give all else for two p ennyworth only of

beautiful Soup? Pennyworth only of beautiful Soup? Beau --

ootiful Soo -- oop! Beau -- ootiful Soo -- oop! Soo -- oop of

the e -- e -- evening, Beautiful, beauti -- FUL SOUP!'

The Owl and the Pussy cat and the Turkey who lived on the hill

The Owl and the Pussy cat and the Turkey who lived on the hill.

An illustration by John Vernon Lord in The Nonsense Verse of Edward Lear, Jonathan Cape, 1984 and reissued in 2012.

The text of the final verse of the poem:

III

'Dear pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling     Your ring?' Said the Piggy, 'I will.' So they took it away, and were married next day     By the Turkey who lives on the hill. They dined on mince, and slices of quince,     Which they ate with a runcible spoon; And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,     They danced by the light of the moon,           The moon,           The moon, They danced by the light of the moon.

The flight of the Yonghy Bonghy Bo

The flight of the Yonghy Bonghy Bo, an illustration by John Vernon Lord 

for the poem 'The Yonghy Bonghy Bo' in The Nonsense Verse of Edward Lear, Jonathan Cape, 1984 and reissued in 2012.

The text of this verse:

Down the slippery slopes of Myrtle, 

Where the early pumpkins blow, 

To the calm and silent sea 

Fled the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo. 

There, beyond the Bay of Gurtle, 

Lay a large and lively Turtle. 

"You're the Cove," he said, "for me; 

On your back beyond the sea, 

Turtle, you shall carry me!" 

Said the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo, 

Said the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo. - 

Cash Register and Typewriter

Cash register at Lord's Café. A sketch by JVL drawn in his father's shop in Glossop in 1957 

when an 18-year-old student at Salford School of Art.

Typewriter at Lord's Café. A sketch by JVL drawn in his father's office in Glossop in 1957 

when an 18-year-old student at Salford School of Art.

A 'Rudge' bicycle

A 'Rudge' bicycle, a sketchbook drawing by JVL drawn 1957 when an 18-year-old student.

This bicycle took me up and down many a quiet Derbyshire lane round Glossop in the late 1950s and round the hectic streets of London in the early 1960s. Mind you, it wasn't a wonky as this drawing!

Kitchen and bathroom

Kitchen and bathroom; illustrations by JVL for the magazine House Beautiful 1967.

I never thought, when I was an art student, that I would be drawing a lavatory!

I did many such drawings to earn a living in my early freelance days!

Bevis of Hampton slays a flying adder with a spear handle

Bevis of Hampton slays a flying adder with a spear handle, an illustration by John Vernon Lord for 'Bevis of Hampton' in British Myths and Legends, edited by Richard Barber, The Folio Society, 1998.

A boy writes on a blackboard

A boy writes on a blackboard, an illustration by JVL in 'Forward!', a Russian Course Book, 

Schools Council Publication, 1971.

Bill the Lizard

Bill the Lizard, an illustration by John Vernon Lord in 

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Artists' Choice Editions, 2009.

The Text:

The twelve jurors were all writing very busily on slates. 'What are

they doing?' Alice whispered to the Gryphon. 'They can't have

anything to put down yet, before the trial's begun.'

 'They're putting down their names,' the Gryphon whispered in

reply, 'for fear they should forget them before the end of the trial.'

'Stupid things!' Alice began in a loud, indignant voice, but she

stopped hastily, for the White Rabbit cried out, 'Silence in the court!'

and the King put on his spectacles and looked anxiously round, to

make out who was talking.

Alice could see, as well as if she were looking over their shoulders,

that all the jurors were writing down 'stupid things!' on their slates,

and she could even make out that one of them didn't know how to

spell 'stupid,' and that he had to ask his neighbour to tell him. 'A

nice muddle their slates'll be in before the trial's over!' thought

Alice.

One of the jurors had a pencil that squeaked. This of course, Alice

could not stand, and she went round the court and got behind him,

and very soon found an opportunity of taking it away. She did it so

quickly that the poor little juror (it was Bill, the Lizard) could not

make out at all what had become of it; so, after hunting all about for

it, he was obliged to write with one finger for the rest of the day;

and this was of very little use, as it left no mark on the slate.

'The Scroobious Pip'

'The Scroobious Pip', an illustration by John Vernon Lord in 

The Nonsense Verse of Edward Lear, Jonathan Cape, 1984 and reissued in 2013.

The full text of this unfinished poem was first published posthumously in a publication entitled: Teapots and Quails, John Murray, 1953.

The Scroobious Pip went out one day

When the grass was green, and the sky was grey.

Then all the beasts in the world came round

When the Scroobious Pip sat down on the ground.

     The cat and the dog and the kangaroo

     The sheep and the cow and the guineapig too--

     The wolf he howled, the horse he neighed

     The little pig squeaked and the donkey brayed,

     And when the lion began to roar

     There never was heard such a noise before.

     And every beast he stood on the tip

     Of his toes to look a the Scroobious Pip.

At last they said to the Fox - "By far,

You're the wisest beast! You know you are!

Go close to Scroobious Pip and say,

Tell us all about yourself we pray-

For as yet we can't make out in the least

If you're Fish or Insect, or Bird or Beast."

The Scroobious Pip looked vaguelyy round

And sang these words with a rumbling sound-

     Chippetty Flip; Flippetty Chip;-

My only name is the Scroobious Pip.

2

The Scroobious Pip from the top of a tree

Saw the distant Jellybolee,-

And all the birds in the world came there,

Flying in crowds all through the air.

     The Vulture and Eagle, the cock and the hen

     The Ostrich the Turkey the Snipe and the Wren;

     The Parrot chattered, the Blackbird sung

     And the owl looked wise bu held his tongue,

     And when the Peacock began to scream

     The hullabaloo was quite extreme.

     And every bird he fluttered the tip

     Of his wng as he stared at the Scroobious Pip.

At last they said to the owl- "By far,

You're the wisest Bird -- you know you are!

Fly close to the Scroobious Pip and say,

Explain all about yourself we paray-

For as yet we have neither seen nor heard

If you're fish or insect, beast or bird!"

The Scroobious Pip looked gaily round

And sang these words with a chirpy sound-

     Chippetty Flip; Flippetty Chip;-

My only name is the Scroobious Pip.

3

The Scroobious Pip went into the sea

By the beautiful shore of Jellybolee-

All the fish in the world swam round

With a splashing squashy spluttering sound.

     The sprat, the herring, the turbot too

     The shark, the sole and the mackerel blue,

     The flounder spluttered, the purpoise puffed

 

     And when the whale began to spout   

     And every fish he shook the tip

     Of his tail as he gazed on the Scroobious Pip

At last they said to the whale- "By far

You're the biggest Fish - you know you are!

Swim close to the Scroobious Pip and say-

Tell us all about yourself we pray!-

For to know you yourself is our only wish;

Are you beast or insect, bird or fish?"

The Scroobious Pip looked softly round

And sung these words with a liquid sound-

     Pliffity Flip; Pliffety Flip;-

My only name is the Scroobious Pip.

4

The scroobious Pip sat under a tree

By the silent shores of the Jellybolee;

All the insects in all the world

About the Scroobious Pip entwirled.

     Beetles and     with purple eyes

     Gnats and buzztilential flies-

     Grasshoppers, butterflies, spiders too,

     Wasps and bees and dragon-flies blue,

     And when the gnats began to hum

          bounced like a dismal drum,

     And every insect curled the tip

     Of his snout, and looked a the Scroobious Pip.

At last the said to the Ant - "By far

You're the wisest insect, you know you are!

Creep close to the Scroobious Pip and say-

Tell us all about yourself we pray,

For we can't find out, and we can't tell why-

If you're beast or fish or a bird or a fly."

The Scroobious Pip turned quickly round

And sang these words with a whistly sound

     Wizzeby wip - wizzeby wip--

My only name is the Scroobious Pip.

5

Then all the beasts that walk on the ground

Danced in a circle round and round-

And all the birds that fly in the air

Flew round and round in a circle there,

And all the fish in the Jellybolee

Swum in a circle about the sea,

And all the insects that creep or go

Buzzed in a circle to and fro.

And they roared and sang and whistled and cried

Till the noise was heard from side to side-

     Chippetty tip! Chippetty tip!

It's only name is the Scroobious Pip.

[from Teapots and Quails]

'The Quangle Wangle's Hat'

'The Quangle Wangle's Hat', an illustration by John Vernon Lord in 

The Nonsense Verse of Edward Lear, Jonathan Cape 1984.

Four interlacement motifs

Four interlacement motifs by JVL drawn for books in the 1980s 1980s

Two interlacement motifs

Two interlacement motifs by JVL drawn for books in the 1980s 1980s

Gregor Mendel

Gregor Mendel, an illustration by JVL in Biology and the Social Crisis, 

by JK Brierley, Heinemann, 1967

Daniel shine his torch for Rock

Daniel shine his torch for Rock, the Dinosaur; an illustration by JVL 

in Dinosaurs Don't Die by Ann Coates, 1970.

'Hare'

'Hare', an illustration by John Vernon Lord for a poem by Adele David in 

The Song that Sings the Bird, poems for young children chosen by Ruth Craft, Collins, 1989.