An unprecedented collection of original drawings by the best-loved children’s author in the English language achieved £23,940 in our June 2025 auction of Books & Manuscripts.
Comprising some 30 sketches produced by Roald Dahl for his memoir Boy: Tales of Childhood, published by Jonathan Cape in 1984, the collection forms part of an archive relating to the publication of the work retained by the late Ian Craig (1944-2023) who, as art director at Cape, oversaw the production of Boy and was responsible for its final appearance in book form. Craig used Dahl’s sketches as inspiration for his own drawings, which were those eventually used in the published work.
Craig’s accomplished designs are to be sold as part of the archive, together with material including the publisher’s original page-layouts, correspondence, and more, the collection providing an enchanting view onto the transformation of Dahl’s memories into the printed form in which they would be cherished by generations of readers.
