Biography
Ian (Archie) Beck. Author / Illustrator.
A brief CV
Born in Hove, Sussex in 1947. Attended the local secondary modern school, from 1958- 1963, where he was encouraged by the art teacher and headmaster to attend Brighton College of Art Saturday morning art classes. He eventually went to the art school as a full time student in 1963, studying illustration and graphic design.
He graduated in 1968, and shortly afterwards moved to London, with his portfolio of drawings to try his luck as a freelance illustrator. He worked part time at Harrods in the toy dept, to pay the rent, and in the meantime gradually built up a client list, mainly working for mainstream consumer magazines like Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, and Homes and Gardens. He also began making drawings for the recording industry, at first these were just advertisements for artists like Ry Cooder and Richie Havens. Later in the early seventies designing and illustrating album covers as well, for example the outside panels for the triple gatefold album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, for Elton John. He continued to work in this field until the early 1980’s, also producing work for most of the leading design groups, advertising agencies, newspapers, and magazines.
He was approached by the Oxford University Press, who had seen some drawings he had done for the Radio Times. The designer at the OUP felt that the style of the drawings would suit a project for children, which they wanted to publish. This became his first book for children, Round and Round the Garden, an illustrated collection of finger rhymes and games. It was through working on this first book that he began his continuing relationship with the editor and publisher David Fickling. After the success of the first book others followed, until 1989, when he was encouraged to write his first story to illustrate, this became The Teddy Robber, (Doubleday 1989) from this point on the books took over from the editorial work. Most of his time is now spent writing and illustrating his own books for children, of which a partial check-list follows. He has been on an editorial board as an adviser at Scholastic Books for their project to re-publish the Little Tim stories of Edward Ardizzone. He is a member of the Double Crown Club, and was Master of the Art Workers Guild in 1999. His Book Home Before Dark won a gold award in the best toy awards, and was also recently awarded the Ownagata prize in Japan. Alone in the Woods, won the gold award in the best toy awards 2000. He has recently completed his first novel for children, The Secret history of Thomas Trueheart Boy Adventurer, which will be published in spring 2006. he is currently working on a second novel for Bloomsbury. He tours schools and libraries all over the country talking about his own work and that of other artists.
Herewith a partial list of books published from 1982 to present.
March 2005. Those marked with a * out of print. Plus any forthcoming titles including longer fiction.
Round and Round the Garden. OUP.
Oranges and Lemons. OUP.
Ride a Cock- Horse. OUP.
Pudding and Pie. OUP.
Little Miss Muffett. OUP.
The Teddy Robber. (New edition Spring 2006) Doubleday.
Hush a Bye Baby*. Doubleday.
Emily and the Golden Acorn*. Doubleday.
Tom and the Island of Dinosaurs. Doubleday.
Peter and the Wolf. Doubleday.
The Owl and the Pussy-Cat.(Edward Lear) Doubleday.
The Jumblies (Edward Lear) Doubleday
Noah and the Ark*. (text Antonia Barber) Doubleday
Cinderella* Doubleday.
Hansel and Gretel* Doubleday
Puss In Boots (text by Philip Pullman) Doubleday
The Christmas Story (November 2003) Doubleday
The Nutcracker (text by Berlie Docherty) Doubleday
The Little Mermaid (August 2005) Doubleday
Five Little Ducks. Orchard.
The Orchard Book of Fairy Tales. (text Rose Impey) Orchard.
The Orchard ABC. Orchard.
The Little Angel. (text Geraldine Macaughrean) Orchard
The Ugly Duckling. Orchard.
Peter Pan and Wendy. (text Rose Impey) Orchard.
Poems for Christmas. Scholastic.
Picture Book Scholastic
Red Book/ Green Book/ Yellow Book/ Blue Book. Scholastic.
Home Before Dark. Scholastic.
Lost in the Snow Scholastic
Alone in the Woods. Scholastic.
Lost on the Beach Scholastic.
The Happy Bee Scholastic
Kitten Cat Scholastic
Kitten Cat Rainy Day Play Scholastic
Kitten Cat First Snow
The Oxford Nursery Book. OUP.
The Oxford Nursery Story Book. OUP
The Oxford Nursery Treasury. OUP.
Stories and Songs for Bedtime (2004) OUP.
Chicken Licken OUP
Elves and the Shoemaker(2005) OUP
The Princess and The Pea (2005) OUP
The Gingerbread Boy OUP
The Tortoise and the Hare OUP
The Enormous Turnip OUP
Jack and The Beanstalk OUP
Goldilocks and the Three Bears OUP
Little Red Riding Hood OUP
The Three Little Pigs OUP
Forhtcoming Novels written by Ian Beck
The Secret History of Thomas Trueheart (spring 2006) OUP
As yet Untitled novel for Teenagers (Bloomsbury) Pub date 2007?
The Summer House (Short Story) Aritsts Choice editions 2005
Forthcoming Picture Books
Winston The Word Wolf (Bloomsbury) Pub date 2006
Tom and the Dinosaur’s Egg (Doubleday 2007)
Books illustrated for adults include,
Pride and Prejudice.
The Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway.
The Stories of Oscar Wilde.
The Wit of Oscar Wilde.
Poems by Walter de la Mare.
Private press editions of short stories, Cork by William Boyd,
and The Dreaming House by Jeanette Winterson.
An Alphabet for Gourmets by M F K Fisher (Folio Society TBA)
Contact details
Work tel: 020 8891 3230
Website: http://www.tomtrueheart.com
Send this member an email
