Long awaited publication of Osric the Extraordinary Owl by Brian Sibley and Pauline Baynes
Osric the Extraordinary Owl resulted from the collaboration of two friends: artist and illustrator Pauline Baynes and writer, dramatist and broadcaster Brian Sibley.
It was a friendship spanning more than two-and-a-half decades, with many shared interests, among them the work of J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis famously illustrated by Pauline and the subject of acclaimed dramatisations by Brian.
Sibley’s tale of a small grey owl in search of the courage to establish his individuality and ‘be himself’ (but which can be also be read as a ‘coming-out story’) was written in 1970 but had to wait until 2007 to find an artist at a time when Baynes was without any commissions and was wanting opportunities to keep drawing and painting. As a result she produced 22 delightful, double-page illustrations featuring not just Osric and his owl family but also an entire aviary of the most spectacular, colourful birds from black swans and peacocks to flamingos and toucans.
Baynes completed her pictures for Osric the year before her death in 2008 but ‘the extraordinary owl’ had to wait another decade to find a publisher. At the Tolkien Society’s 50th anniversary conference in 2019 when noted Tolkien artist Jay Johnstone met Brian Sibley and another of Pauline’s friends, Wayne G. Hammond who, with his wife Christina Scull, is responsible for many key works of Tolkien scholarship and who, as Librarian of the Chapin Library of Rare Books at Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts, has curatorship of the Pauline Baynes bequest of paintings, drawings. Out of that Tolkien encounter came the decision to finally get Osric’s saga into print.
After a delay, caused by the Covid pandemic, Jay Johnstone is now pleased to announce the publication of Osric the Extraordinary Owl.
This collector’s edition hardback book is written by Brian Sibley and illustrated by Pauline Baynes, with a foreword by Wayne G. Hammond. It is designed and produced by Jay Johnstone and comes in a gilded presentation box. Each book is individually numbered and comes with signed book plates by Brian, Wayne and Jay.
Related Posts
Oxonmoot 2022 St Annes, Oxford
Oxonmoot – what a hoot. Just got to say what a great conference this year, fantastic talks, shows and event. A joy to catch up with old friends and make some new new ones. A special thanks to Brian and David for giving so much time to everyone. Well done the Oxonmoot Crew, setting a […]
The Art of Jay Johnstone, Part One
What happens when a Tolkien artist paints from inside Middle-earth? READ MORE
‘Ut pictura tractatio – Some Thoughts on Jay Johnstone’s Isildur’s Bane’
I first met Jay Johnstone surrounded by his artwork at the Return of the Ring conference in Loughborough in August 2012 – and was struck by two things.
The Athens Tolkien Symposium May 2022
The Athens Tolkien Symposium May 2022 The Athens Tolkien Symposium May 2022 The Athens Tolkien Symposium II was successfully completed. Over 2 days, books and academic syllabus were presented, speeches were made on interesting aspects of Tolkien’s work, excellent works of paintings were exposed and analyzed, wonderful music was heard. We had the honor of