St. William’s College, York – Edgar Hodges (Oxford A4 graph paper pad)
It turns out I’m not alone in remembering, admiring and being influenced by the Oxford A4 pad illustrations of Edgar Hodges. When I mentioned it at the latest Inside Out notebook meeting, it turned out that most people there knew the drawings and had no idea who had done them.
And I had a surprise for everyone who remembered them, too: Edgar Hodges has been in touch! He recalls doing the A4 pad illustrations, but says that it was a very short commission – when the company changed the look of their line, they no longer wanted any further illustrations from him. He’s retired, but still paints and draws, and also makes maritime models. He was very gracious in his reply, and I think a little surprised that anyone had bothered to track him down.
So, to wrap up the story so far, here’s another one of Edgar’s great line illustrations from an Oxford graph paper pad.
Brilliant that you’ve tracked him down, John. The wonder of the internet in connecting people.
On a much more pragmatic note, what I miss most (as a writer) from the stationery of twenty or thirty years ago is the quality of the paper. I spend a lot of time now tracking down paper you can actually use both sides of – and that’s pleasant to write on. Recently I ended up buying a spiral-bound sketch pad, just to get a decent writing book.
aahhh – know the feeling Jane!
And annoyingly, I even have trouble finding inexpensive A6 unlined notebooks – just little pocket sketch/memo books. Either they’re over fussy and so costly you hesitate to scribble in them, or they’re so cheap they don’t last.
I am somewhat interested to hear that you have been in contact with Edgar Hodges. I had the pleasure of meeting him at Glenforsa Hotel in the Isle of Mull in June 1973. I had flown a private Cessna 182 aeroplane to Glenforsa and offered Mr Hodges a flight around the island to see The mountain Ben More from the air. A couple of days later when my wife and I were due to return home, Mr Hodges gave me a watercolour painting of Ben More as a thank-you gift for his flight. That painting has been hanging in a very prominent place in my hallway at home and has given me daily pleasure ever since. I just wanted to Thank Mr Hodges and let him know of the enormous uplift that I get as I walk down the stairs each morning and remember the day, my holiday in Mull and his generosity.
I do hope that you would be able to get a copy of this email to him and forward my gratitude.
Kind regards
Andrew French
I’ll let him know!