{"title":"Long, Nat","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNathaniel John Long (1893-1955)\u003c\/strong\u003e was a commercial artist and illustrator whose career spanned three decades. Much of his work remains uncredited and unrecorded, making it difficult to assess his artistic legacy fully.  Long is best remembered for creating dust jackets and covers, particularly for thriller and crime novels during the 1930s and 1940s. He also illustrated notable editions of classics such as Tom Brown’s Schooldays and \u003cstrong\u003eThe Coral Island\u003c\/strong\u003e in 1948.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn addition to his book work, Long maintained a longstanding relationship with Birn Brothers, a publisher focused on greeting cards, postcards, and affordable children’s books. His versatile talents allowed him to contribute across a range of genres, although much of his output was behind the scenes and unsigned.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe was born on 12 January 1893 in Christchurch, Bournemouth, the son of Nathaniel Long, a local labourer, and Levina Ann Curtis. His early life was marked by family turmoil, as his father frequently appeared in local newspapers for drunkenness, fighting, and domestic disputes. Despite this troubled background, young Nathaniel’s resilience would shape his later artistic pursuits.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1904, he enrolled at the Bournemouth West School of Science and Art in Poole Hill, Bournemouth. His career as an artist was temporarily postponed by the outbreak of the First World War. He joined the 1\/4th Battalion of the Royal Hampshire Regiment and served as a signaller in Mesopotamia and Persia between 1915 and 1918. During his time overseas, he practiced his art, and in February 1920 he exhibited around 60 black and white drawings and watercolours, produced when he was in the Far East, at his old college (by then the Bournemouth Municipal College). Later that year he married Rose Helen Turner (b.1895).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is not known exactly when Long established himself as an illustrator. His earliest-known work was a series of illustrations for Cassell \u0026amp; Co.’s The New Magazine and Cassell’s Magazine in 1928, and the Amalgamated Press’s The Corner Magazine and The Thriller in 1929. His work also appeared in Little Folks in the early 1930s. At roughly the same time, he began providing dust jackets for a variety of publishers, including Hurst \u0026amp; Blackett, John Long, Collins, Jarrolds and the Eldon Press. He was less prolific as a book illustrator, with his earliest illustrations appearing in a horror\/mystery story by Walter S. Masterman in 1932. He signed his work either “Nat Long” or “NL.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHis work also appeared in a number of large-format children’s books such as The Modern Book for Boys, The Splendid Book for Boys, Boys’ Sporting Stories and Popular Stories for Girls, all published by Birn Brothers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe appears to have stopped working towards the end of 1953, either because of ill health or because of a declining market for the type of fiction he was illustrating. He died, at Guy’s Hospital, London, on 5 October 1955, leaving an estate valued at £7,153 (around £170,000 in today’s terms).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003eBooks illustrated by Nat Long\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Flying Beast by Walter S. Masterman, E.P. Dutton \u0026amp; Co., 1932\u003cbr\u003eStories of Detection ed. by R.W. Jepson, Longmans, Green \u0026amp; Co., 1939\u003cbr\u003eEssays and Sketches by A.J. Merson, Longmans, Green \u0026amp; Co., 1939\u003cbr\u003ePeter Darington, Seaman Detective by Douglas V. Duff, Thames Publishing Co., 1948\u003cbr\u003eA Tale About Timothy by Lindie Leigh, Partridge Publications, 1948\u003cbr\u003eFlights into the Future by various authors, Thames Publishing Co., 1948\u003cbr\u003eJack and the Beanstalk, Birn Brothers, 1948\u003cbr\u003eTom Brown’s Schooldays by Thomas Hughes, W. Foulsham \u0026amp; Co., 1948 (re-issue)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Coral Island by R.M. Ballantyne, W. Foulsham \u0026amp; Co., 1948 (re-issue)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eConquerors of the Air by Harry Harper, Thames Publishing Co., 1948 (cover)\u003cbr\u003eMy Favourite Story, Thames Publishing Co., 1949 (with other artists)\u003cbr\u003ePicture Pages from Britain’s History, Raphael Tuck \u0026amp; Sons, (1940s?)\u003cbr\u003eThe Best Term Ever by Cecilia Falcon, Thames Publishing Co., 1952\u003cbr\u003eThe Mystery of Torland Manor by Aylmer Hall, George G. Harrap \u0026amp; Co., 1952\u003cbr\u003eIn the Footsteps of Jesus by Rev. Leighton Houghton, Purnell, 1965\u003cbr\u003eHorses and Ponies of the World by Phyliss Briggs, 1966\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"coral-island-the-1948-nat-long-1893-1955-6-images","title":"Coral Island, The 1948 - Nat Long (1893-1955) - 6 images","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Coral Island is a children's book by R.M. Ballantyne, illustrated by Nat Long. It features three boys, Ralph, Jack, and Peterkin, who are shipwrecked on a deserted Pacific island. They learn to survive, face dangers including pirates and cannibals, and develop resourcefulness and friendship. The novel explores adventure, morality, and the triumph of good over evil.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis download features 6 images in JPEG format, scanned by us from an original edition of the book. The images are all 600dpi and range from 2560 pixels wide to 4522 pixels tall.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe pictures are out of copyright and in the public domain, so you are free to use them in whatever way you'd like, including commercial use.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRead more about \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.publicdomainimagelibrary.com\/collections\/long-nat\" title=\"Nat Long\"\u003eNat Long\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Digital Download - 6 images","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":63622797689162,"sku":null,"price":1.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0776\/7965\/7290\/files\/Long_Nat_1893-1955_-CoralIsland1948_main.jpg?v=1789998967"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0776\/7965\/7290\/collections\/Long_Nat_1893-1955.jpg?v=1789995432","url":"https:\/\/www.publicdomainimagelibrary.com\/collections\/long-nat.oembed","provider":"Public Domain Image Library","version":"1.0","type":"link"}