GUINNESS. Herbert, A. P. Pen Portraits.

London: Designed for Arthur Guinness Son & Co. by S. H. Benson Ltd.; printed by W. S. Cowell Ltd., Ipswich, 1962 (code 429/62). Verses by A. P. Herbert. Illustrations by Michael Ffolkes. Quarto. Original illustrated wrappers titled Pen Portraits by A. P. H., the cover designed as a whimsical gallery wall displaying humorous caricature “portraits.” Profusely illustrated throughout in colour. Some light wear and minor creasing to wrappers; internally clean with bright illustrations. A very good copy.

An entertaining example of Guinness advertising ephemera from the early 1960s, bringing together the light satirical verse of A. P. Herbert with the lively cartoon style of Michael Ffolkes. Each “portrait” presents a comic character study—eccentric personalities, social types, and humorous situations—accompanied by witty verses celebrating the convivial virtues of Guinness.

The booklet forms part of the celebrated series of imaginative promotional publications commissioned by Guinness and produced by the London advertising agency S. H. Benson, whose campaigns helped establish the brewery’s distinctive mid-twentieth-century visual identity. Ffolkes’s illustrations, instantly recognisable for their elegant line and gently absurd humour, complement Herbert’s satirical observations on British social life.

Guinness advertising booklets of this period are widely collected for their distinctive graphic design, literary associations, and connection with one of Ireland’s most iconic brands.

[WR Food & Drink]