This is a classic for those who want to draw the human body, plus a few animals as well. It was first published in 1939 and reissued in 1947. I picked it up sometime in the 1950s. I recently got it out and found some of my old practice sheets folded in the back.The authors go piece-by-piece through the human body blocking out hands, feet, heads, etc. with simple forms then expanding into completed forms. These are static studies but show extreme motion as well. The authors illustrate the bodys of males as well as females, something often neglected in other books.
No matter 1939 or 2009 the human body under the vintage clothing in some of the illustrations does not change as they show in transparency.The final section of the book is examples of the body in works of art. The authors do much of the illustration using broad pastel strokes which can be of-setting for some but makes for very vulumptuous figures.