Ben-Hur part 1

Something a little more literary for a change. Ben-Hur is based on the novel by Lew Wallace, first published in 1880. I'm going to point you to Wikipedia for more information on the background of the book and its author to save myself some effort (I'm writing this on Sunday evening and I've a bunch of shows recorded off the TV crying out to be watched). Even if you've not read the book, most people will know the title, made famous by the 1959 movie starring Charlton Heston. You know, the one with the chariot race.

It's a spectacular story and Ruggero Giovannini's artwork does great justice to it. Giovannini's probably better known in the UK as the artist of "Olac the Gladiator" in Tiger (1959-65, 1968-69) and for his adaptation of "The Three Musketeers" in Look and Learn (1967). "Ben-Hur" was originally published in Look and Learn in 1969, and I think Giovannini decided to pull out all of the stops for this, his last original work drawn for the UK. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

(* Ben Hur artwork © Look and Learn Ltd. Reprinted by permission.)