Matt Peperell | A is for 'Alphabet'

I was thinking recently that I've let my blog languish for a long time (having checked, it's over two years). Apt in timing, yesterday I discovered the A-Z Blogging Challenge. It feels like the sort of thing I can use to help pick up activity. But then again, I don't want it to be forced - so who knows how long I'll keep it up.

As many of my readers know, I like words and language, and foreign lanuages too. But today's post is on the English alphabet. Or rather on a book themed on the English Alphabet. The title of this book is The Ultimate Alphabet. Though the book contains prose, the main content is a series hand-painted pictures each themed on a single letter of the alphabet. The wonderous thing about this book is that it is suitable for both children and adults. There are simple words such as "angel" (findable by even young kids), flags for countries beginning with A and for a real subtlety there is the maritime signal flag for the letter A.

I first encountered this book as a child in the late 80s (soon after it was published) and have bought a copy of it myself since and as I've learned more complexities about the world, there are still relevant things to be found and I get plenty of use out of it. I also occasionally buy it as a present for people.

The same artist drew each of the pictures - his name being Mike Wilks. The small amount of prose serves as an explanation for how the pictures were developed, along with a per-picture introduction giving sample words and how many items are to be found.

Here is the picture for the letter 'A'. Can you find an angel, an aquarium, the Australian flag, an awning, and others? There are 306 things to find.

Angel, aquarium, Australia, awning, ... 360 A's to find

For convenience, here's a link to the book's details: https://isbnsearch.org/isbn/9780805000764