Richard Chopping
Encyclopedia
Richard Wasey Chopping was a British
illustrator
and author best known for painting the dust jacket
s of Ian Fleming
's James Bond
novels starting with From Russia, with Love (1957).
, Essex
and educated at Gresham's School
, Holt
.
style, creating a realistic and almost three dimensional appearance. Among his illustrations are nine covers from 1957 to 1966 for James Bond books by Ian Fleming
and the cover of John Gardner
's first Bond continuation novel, Licence Renewed
(1981).
and children's books
. His early work includes Butterflies in Britain (1943), A Book of Birds (1944), The Old Woman and the Pedlar (1944), The Tailor and the Mouse (1944), Wild Flowers (1944), Heads, Bodies & Legs, and the collection of short stories Mr Postlethwaite's Reindeer (1945).
Chopping's first novel, The Fly (Secker & Warburg, 1965) was recommended to its publisher by Angus Wilson
, where David Farrar found it "a perfectly disgusting concoction". It was edited by Giles Gordon, who later wrote that he was determined to like the novel, hoping that "more, and no doubt better, books would follow. The Fly was indeed disgusting." Gordon found Chopping "most fastidious" and his book "sufficiently sordid to appeal to voyeurs, and if Chopping were to adorn it with one of his famous dust-jackets it could be a succès de scandale; and so it proved." Chopping's second novel, The Ring (1967), was more mundane and much less successful. His short story The Eagle appears in the anthology Lie Ten Nights Awake (1967, ed. Herbert Van Thal
).
for over sixty years, and were the founders of an artist community which counted Francis Bacon
as a member.
auctioned an archive of letters between Chopping, Ian Fleming
, and others involved in the production of nine of the 007 covers between 1957 and 1966. The letters touch on details about the jacket art, praise for Chopping’s work, payment information, copyright issues, and other related topics. The lot sold for $57,600.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
and author best known for painting the dust jacket
Dust jacket
The dust jacket of a book is the detachable outer cover, usually made of paper and printed with text and illustrations. This outer cover has folded flaps that hold it to the front and back book covers...
s of Ian Fleming
Ian Fleming
Ian Lancaster Fleming was a British author, journalist and Naval Intelligence Officer.Fleming is best known for creating the fictional British spy James Bond and for a series of twelve novels and nine short stories about the character, one of the biggest-selling series of fictional books of...
's James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
novels starting with From Russia, with Love (1957).
Early life
Chopping was born in ColchesterColchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
and educated at Gresham's School
Gresham's School
Gresham’s School is an independent coeducational boarding school in Holt in North Norfolk, England, a member of the HMC.The school was founded in 1555 by Sir John Gresham as a free grammar school for forty boys, following King Henry VIII's dissolution of the Augustinian priory at Beeston Regis...
, Holt
Holt, Norfolk
Holt is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is north of the city of Norwich, west of Cromer and east of King's Lynn. The town is on the route of the A148 King's Lynn to Cromer road. The nearest railway station is in the town of Sheringham where access to the...
.
Illustrator
He painted in the trompe l'oeilTrompe l'oeil
Trompe-l'œil, which can also be spelled without the hyphen in English as trompe l'oeil, is an art technique involving extremely realistic imagery in order to create the optical illusion that the depicted objects appear in three dimensions.-History in painting:Although the phrase has its origin in...
style, creating a realistic and almost three dimensional appearance. Among his illustrations are nine covers from 1957 to 1966 for James Bond books by Ian Fleming
Ian Fleming
Ian Lancaster Fleming was a British author, journalist and Naval Intelligence Officer.Fleming is best known for creating the fictional British spy James Bond and for a series of twelve novels and nine short stories about the character, one of the biggest-selling series of fictional books of...
and the cover of John Gardner
John Gardner (thriller writer)
John Edmund Gardner was an English spy novelist, most notably for the James Bond series.-Early life:Gardner was born in Seaton Delaval, Northumberland. He graduated from St John's College, Cambridge and did postgraduate study at Oxford...
's first Bond continuation novel, Licence Renewed
Licence Renewed
Licence Renewed , first published in 1981, is the first novel by John Gardner featuring Ian Fleming's secret agent, James Bond. It was the first proper James Bond novel since Kingsley Amis's Colonel Sun in 1968...
(1981).
Book covers
- Alde Estuary: The Story of a Suffolk River (1952; Norman Adlard & Co)
- The Saturday BookThe Saturday BookThe Saturday Book was an annual miscellany, published 1941-1975, reaching 34 volumes. It was edited initially by Leonard Russell and from 1952 by John Hadfield. A final compilation entitled The Best of the Saturday Book was published in 1981...
(1955; Hutchinson) - From Russia with Love (1957; Jonathan Cape)
- The Tenth Aldeburgh FestivalAldeburgh FestivalThe Aldeburgh Festival is an English arts festival devoted mainly to classical music. It takes place each June in the Aldeburgh area of Suffolk, centred on the main concert hall at Snape Maltings...
Programme Book (1957) - Goldfinger (1959; Jonathan Cape)
- For Your Eyes Only (1960; Jonathan Cape)
- Thunderball (1961; Jonathan Cape)
- The Spy Who Loved Me (1962; Jonathan Cape)
- The Fourth of JuneThe Fourth of JuneThe Fourth of June is the first novel by David Benedictus.The novel was considered controversial when published in 1962 as it describes scenes of violent bullying at Eton College, unrestrained class warfare and suggestions of paedophile sexuality. It has some parallels with Tom Brown's Schooldays....
(1962; Anthony Blond) - On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1963; Jonathan Cape)
- You Only Live Twice (1964; Jonathan Cape)
- The Man with the Golden GunThe Man with the Golden Gun (novel)The Man with the Golden Gun is the twelfth novel of Ian Fleming's James Bond series of books. It was first published by Jonathan Cape in the UK on 1 April 1965, eight months after the author's death. The novel was not as detailed or polished as the others in the series, leading to poor but polite...
(1965; Jonathan Cape) - The Fly (1965; Secker and Warburg)
- Octopussy and The Living DaylightsOctopussy and The Living DaylightsOctopussy and The Living Daylights is the fourteenth and final James Bond book written by Ian Fleming in the Bond series...
(1966; Jonathan Cape) - The Ring (1967; Secker and Warburg)
- The Last Dodo (1967; Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
- The Thirty-Second Aldeburgh FestivalAldeburgh FestivalThe Aldeburgh Festival is an English arts festival devoted mainly to classical music. It takes place each June in the Aldeburgh area of Suffolk, centred on the main concert hall at Snape Maltings...
of Music & the Arts Programme Book (1979) - Licence RenewedLicence RenewedLicence Renewed , first published in 1981, is the first novel by John Gardner featuring Ian Fleming's secret agent, James Bond. It was the first proper James Bond novel since Kingsley Amis's Colonel Sun in 1968...
(1981; Jonathan Cape)
Author
During the 1940s, Chopping also established himself as an author and illustrator of natural historyNatural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
and children's books
Children's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
. His early work includes Butterflies in Britain (1943), A Book of Birds (1944), The Old Woman and the Pedlar (1944), The Tailor and the Mouse (1944), Wild Flowers (1944), Heads, Bodies & Legs, and the collection of short stories Mr Postlethwaite's Reindeer (1945).
Chopping's first novel, The Fly (Secker & Warburg, 1965) was recommended to its publisher by Angus Wilson
Angus Wilson
Sir Angus Frank Johnstone Wilson, CBE was an English novelist and short story writer. He was awarded the 1958 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for The Middle Age of Mrs Eliot and later received a knighthood for his services to literature.-Biography:Wilson was born in Bexhill, Sussex, England, to...
, where David Farrar found it "a perfectly disgusting concoction". It was edited by Giles Gordon, who later wrote that he was determined to like the novel, hoping that "more, and no doubt better, books would follow. The Fly was indeed disgusting." Gordon found Chopping "most fastidious" and his book "sufficiently sordid to appeal to voyeurs, and if Chopping were to adorn it with one of his famous dust-jackets it could be a succès de scandale; and so it proved." Chopping's second novel, The Ring (1967), was more mundane and much less successful. His short story The Eagle appears in the anthology Lie Ten Nights Awake (1967, ed. Herbert Van Thal
Herbert Van Thal
Herbert Maurice van Thal , better known as Bertie, was a bookseller, publisher, agent, biographer, and anthologist. His grandfather was a distiller , and was a director of the theatre proprieters, Howard and Wyndham...
).
Private life
Chopping's life partner was the landscape painter Denis Wirth-Miller (born 27 November 1915, died 27 October 2010) http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/denis-wirthmiller-bohemian-artist-who-enjoyed-a-close-association-with-francis-bacon-2187770.html. The two were the first couple to register a Civil Partnership in Colchester. They lived in WivenhoeWivenhoe
Wivenhoe is a town in north eastern Essex, England, approximately south east of Colchester. Historically Wivenhoe village, on the banks of the River Colne, and Wivenhoe Cross, on the higher ground to the north, were two separate settlements but with considerable development in the 19th century the...
for over sixty years, and were the founders of an artist community which counted Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon (painter)
Francis Bacon , was an Irish-born British figurative painter known for his bold, austere, graphic and emotionally raw imagery. Bacon's painterly but abstract figures typically appear isolated in glass or steel geometrical cages set against flat, nondescript backgrounds...
as a member.
Correspondence with Ian Fleming
On April 8, 2010 Swann GalleriesSwann Galleries
Swann Galleries is a New York auction house founded in 1941. It is a specialist auctioneer of antique and rare works on paper, and it is considered the oldest continually operating New York specialist auction house....
auctioned an archive of letters between Chopping, Ian Fleming
Ian Fleming
Ian Lancaster Fleming was a British author, journalist and Naval Intelligence Officer.Fleming is best known for creating the fictional British spy James Bond and for a series of twelve novels and nine short stories about the character, one of the biggest-selling series of fictional books of...
, and others involved in the production of nine of the 007 covers between 1957 and 1966. The letters touch on details about the jacket art, praise for Chopping’s work, payment information, copyright issues, and other related topics. The lot sold for $57,600.
External links
- Obituary: Independent
- Obituary: Times
- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1263359/The-Man-Golden-Grudge-How-illustrator-Ian-Flemings-novels-felt-conned-vast-royalties.html