An Illustrated Nativity

The Nativity According to Saint Luke.
Plaistow, England: Curwen Press, 1954.
(28577)

Illustrations by Eppo (Joseph Ferdinand) Doeve – Line blocks by Austin Miles, Ltd. – Designed and produced for the friends of George Rainbird and Ruari McLean

Made for private circulation as a Christmas gift, this edition of The Nativity According to Saint Luke was limited to five hundred copies. Six full-page line drawings by the Dutch artist and cartoonist Joseph Ferdinand (commonly known as Eppo) Doeve (1907–1981) illustrate the story of Christ’s nativity as recounted in the Gospel of St. Luke, 2:1–20. The image of the shepherds adoring the baby Jesus is repeated in gold on the black paper cover. The title page depicts the evangelist writing, accompanied by his symbolic ox. Shown is Eppo’s drawing of the angel appearing to shepherds in the field and saying, “Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.”