Books with illustrations or without?

[alwaysdaddygirl]

Aloha,

It depends on the book/author.

Tolkein, yes! His maps are amazing.


Any non fiction book, I enjoy the pictures, etc.

Blessings
?

[CrescentMoon]

For me it depends on what type of books I read. For school, if I am reading a textbook like history or literature for example, I like having pictures and illustrations that help draw out the concepts. But when I'm reading fiction, I don't tend to like illustrations. I read a few books recently where there were illustrations at the beginning of each chapter depicting the main characters, and I actually didn't like it because I had picture in my mind of how the characters actually looked, but the drawings in the book were messing with my imagination and I liked the way I imagined them better.

[jamesabr]

I prefer books that have illustrations. Like you said, I can picture what happens in the story more clearly. This is usually the case for books that are longer than 400 pages and fictional. Non-fictional books don't require as much imagination from me.

[RabidFox]

Sometimes I like illustrations and sometimes I don't. It depends on the book.

I think children's books should have lots of illustrations because it helps them learn how to use their imagination by giving them pieces to work with. It's unfortunate that, as children get older, books written for children do away with illustrations. I really think that children should be reading books with pictures all the way through to their senior year in high school. Books are too diverse to assume that everyone can picture scenes on their own. And when you do picture your own scenes without any help, are you really learning about the setting and the characters or do you just think that you're doing it right? Some people would argue that it doesn't matter, that they should be free to imagine whatever they want. But how do we do history justice if we don't have professional illustrations?

And then another issue comes to mind, one that is difficult to weed out, and that's illustrations done by people who don't know what the scenes should actually look like. It promotes an inaccurate view of history that is difficult to get out of people's heads, even once they become adults. People get attached to incorrect imagery and don't want to let go, even if it's a really bad misinterpretation. If we hand an adult a book and assure them that it is accurate, will it help them grow or will they refuse to change their point of view? And back to a previous point, and that's that some people would argue that it doesn't matter. But is that true? Does it really not matter? Do we sacrifice history in exchange for art? What do you think? Does it bother you if the scenes are inaccurately depicted or do you just go with it? Do you feel like there should be a stronger effort to fix errors?

I must say, I don't always know when I am looking at the right picture or not. And, at times, I wonder if I am really learning something or if I am just simply building my imagination. Neither route is bad, I just prefer education and imagination, and so I can appreciate illustrations in books even for adults. Sometimes, it's good to have a little help.

[StephanieCorinne22]

It depends on the illustrations. If they are just gorgeous pictures then I definitely don't mind. I love classic children's books illustrations. Especially ones from like the early 1900s. I usually go for non illustrated books for books I read myself, but I am not against illustrations in an adult book.

[Mallory Porshnev]

I'm not really swayed one way or another. Some illustrations at the beginning of chapters is okay, but not necessary.

[MikleoKrein]

I would like to see a book with plenty of illustrations.

Can anyone recommend a book like that? Not a graphic novel.

[Alice Thokchom]

I prefer a book without illustrations because it leaves a room for my imagination and visualisation to go wild and without constraint.

[SunVixen]

Illustrations are usually found only in children's books. Perhaps it would be nice if they met more often in books for grown-ups readers.

[Aniza Butt]

I read both kind of books but i love books with bright illustrations.

[spencermack]

depends on the genre. sometimes an illustration can help the book but many times, illustrations are unnecessary. A map at the beginning of a world building book is fantastic though.

[Diana_2018]

I like books without illustrations. The only good thing for me with books that have illustrations is that the pages I have to read have lessened, which means I'll finish reading earlier. Lol.

[MandyP]

Not for fiction usually although I like the hard copy version of The DaVinci Code with pictures, that helps to identify important parts of the story. Non-fiction yes illustrations are great.

[Renu G]

I don't mind whether a book has illustrations or not. It is actually a distraction to have them because I have to pause while reading, but that's okay.

[ayomie]

Books with illustrations bring life into the book. I love such books and I usually go back and forth between the pictures and the text. It plays a major part in sustaining readers interest.