Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Paperback Cover Reveal & Meet the Artist
In January we announced that this summer we’ll be publishing a new paperback edition of Ian Fleming’s beloved children’s classic, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Today we’re pleased to share with you the cover for this edition, and introduce the illustrator who’s bringing a vibrant new look to this treasured story.
Without further ado, here’s the new cover…
MEET THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS MAGICAL FLYING CAR!
Meet the Pott family: Caractacus, Mimsie, Jemima and Jeremy – the family of crackpots who just invented an incredible whistling sweet. Their next project? Fixing up their new car – a very, very special car…
Buckle up for a journey over the sea and through the sky, into the clutches of a gang of villainous gangsters. Join the Potts for the adventure of a lifetime!
In celebration of the 60th anniversary of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, this edition features the original text now with brand-new illustrations throughout!
Out on June 13, copies are available to pre-order here.
We’re incredibly excited to be working with artist Thomas Gilbert on this new paperback edition of Chitty. It will feature not only the dynamic, breathtaking cover design above but also more than 30 original black and white illustrations throughout. Publishing Director Simon Ward says, “From the moment we saw Thomas’ work we knew he’d be perfect for our 2024 edition of this beloved book. His imagination and knowledge of Ian’s classic car is second to none and we can’t wait for everyone to see what we’ve put together.”
Evolution of the Chitty cover from sketch to final design
Meet the Artist
Thomas is a graphic artist and illustrator, based in Warwickshire, England. Working primarily in the field of poster illustration, he has a passion for modernising vintage styles through a combination of traditional and digital media. A lifelong car enthusiast, Thomas has a background in car design. He graduated with a Masters Degree from Coventry University in 2011, and has since enjoyed creating several high profile cars for iconic British marques.
Speaking about this project, Thomas shared the following:
“I am a lifelong fan of Ian Fleming, so to be asked to illustrate one of his most iconic books is an incredible honour. In book and film form, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a story which has always been close by. I grew up somewhat surrounded by vintage cars (one in particular is a lot like my family’s very own Chitty!) so the notion of a car being alive and a part of the family just naturally resonated with me from a very young age. Chitty is a wonderful story, imbued with all of Fleming’s characteristic warmth, adventure, inventiveness and authenticity – I’m very excited to be illustrating it for a new generation of young readers.”
The team at Ian Fleming Publications first came across Thomas’ work through his striking fan covers for Fleming’s Bond novels, and we fell in love with his bold style.
If you’d like to explore more of Thomas’ work, head over to his Instagram account @gilbert_posters, and don’t forget to pre-order your copy of the new paperback here.
