A charming biography of the artist behind the bestselling “This is…” series of children’s books—which have sold over a million copies since being reissued by Universe—illustrated in the style of Miroslav Sasek himself.

Replete with documents, memories, and images from the life of Miroslav Sasek, this book is richly illustrated with material from Sasek’s books as well as such archival material as previously unpublished illustrations, photographs, and vintage fan letters from children inspired by his books.

Born in Prague in 1916, Sasek studied architecture but worked as a painter and illustrator for most of his life. Having moved to Paris in 1947 to study, he chose not to return to Prague after the Communist takeover. He earned a living as a graphic artist and from 1951 worked for Radio Free Europe until his death in 1980. Starting with This is Paris, published in 1957, his books painted a charmingly cosmopolitan and evocative picture of the world’s great places. Beginning in 2003, all the This is… books have been reissued by Universe Publishing. This book about the beloved illustrator will delight graphic designers, illustrators, and lovers of classic children’s books.

Olga Černá is a highly regarded children’s book author and illustrator who lives in Prague. Pavel Ryška is a Czech illustrator. Martin Salisbury leads Britain’s first master’s program in children’s book illustration at Anglia Ruskin University and is the author of 100 Great Children’s Picturebooks.