PRESTON BLAIR’S ANIMATION BOOK PRESTON BLAIR’S ANIMATION BOOK
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You know it. You have it. You’ve studied it from cover to cover. Preston Blair’s ANIMATION is the book on character animation basics. First published at the height of Blair’s career in the late 1940s, this Walter Foster Art Book has become a classic, and a must-have, in every animator’s library.Now, Steve Worth at the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive has scanned a copy – my copy, obtained from the late Dave Tendlar – of the original 1947 edition of the book, titled ADVANCED ANIMATION. This legendary first edition is rarely seen because it was quickly pulled from the market. Blair illustrated the book with characters from films and studios (mainly MGM) he’d worked on, without bothering to get permission to use the trademarked characters. He had to redraw most of the book to keep it in print. That’s the version most of us have – until now. Go to the Archive to see the the book as it originally appeared, the first half here and the second half here. Enjoy!

Jerry Beck

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