Edward Bawden (1903–1989), CBE, RA, draughtsman, watercolorist, poster designer, illustrator and murals, was also one of the most diverse, inventive, and prolific designer of books jackets of his generation.

Who else but Edward Bawden could have illustrated East Coasting, a charming little collection of travel essays published by the London and North Eastern Railway in 1930? Here, Bawden’s comic genius found full expression. The title page alone boasts such quirky seaside-themed illustrations as a tent flapping open in a gust of wind, revealing the bather changing within, and a giant lobster snatching an old lady from her bath chair while holding a top hat in its free claw.

Are You Sitting Comfortably? generously collects more than 100 book jacket designs and illustrations by Bawden, who worked with many of the leading publishers of the 20th century.