C. Walter Hodges who illustrated some of Rosemary Sutcliff‘s early novels, including The Queen Elizabeth Story (1950), The Eagle of the Ninth (1954), and The Shield Ring (1956) died in 2004. I recently came across his obituary in The Independent newspaper. Some sections spoke in particular of his illustration work.
One of the outstanding author-illustrators of his time, C. Walter Hodges was also a leading scholar of the Shakespearean theatre. Hard-working to the point of perfectionism, he had a gentle demeanour and unfailingly sweet temper that brought him universal popularity in addition to well-earned professional respect. Illustrating over a hundred books while also writing a number of them himself, he played an important part in the general renaissance of children’s literature since 1945. Read More »

