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Escape your everyday routine, get dressed in hair-raising regalia and emerge goggle-eyed from Burton’s phantasmic solar system.

Tim Burton’s filmmaking career spans screenwriting, illustration, animation, production and directing. His unique and recognisable modus merges the macabre with the comedic – colloquially referred to as the “Burtonesque”. Burton's signature style has perturbed and astounded audiences for four decades. His most formative and revered films - Beetlejuice (1988), Edward Scissorhands (1990) and Ed Wood (1994) have become cinematic classics - furthering the horror fiction genre and cementing his position as one of the greatest living creators in entertainment.

October's Book Club presents four immersive, beautiful titles to accompany our mind-bending display. As always, you will find a bundle deal here with 10% off, free delivery and a gift on us. Read on below. 

The World of Tim Burton has been an internationally beloved showcase. During its ten-year run, it has travelled to art institutions across the globe - to Prague at the Prague City Gallery (2014), Genk at the C-mine Cultural Centre (2018) and Torino at the National Museum of Cinema (2023 – 2024) - the exhibition has reached its fifteenth and final destination with us in London at the Design Museum. We assembled this comprehensive homage offering observations of Burton's artistic process and the significant impact of his work on visual culture through essays from experts in the design and film industry woven together with illustrations and images. Have you ever dreamed of getting into illustration? Turn fantasy into reality with our L’artiste 12 Graphite Pencil set. Come and engage with some of our specialised Burton events - we recommend our collaborator talk with Ian Mackinnon, Pete Saunders, Tomi Rose and Maria McLintock on November 5th. 

Following the success of Science Fiction (2005) and Zombie: A Cultural History (2015), academic writer Roger Luckhurst released this gothic fiction anthology in 2021. This curated selection expands on the fantastical and its significance in cultural history. He splits his subject matter into four territories – Architecture and Form, The Lie of the Land, The Gothic Compass, and Monsters. These main areas splinter into twenty parts - containing scholarly discourse and source material that broaches architecture, literature, film, art and video games. Luckhurst consolidates a body of work that deftly describes this mercurial genre - demonstrating its permeation from the niche outskirts to the centre of popular culture.

- Jeffrey Jerome Cohen

In 1996, Burton released his darkly comedic film – Mars Attacks! - influenced by Topps trading cards. A year later, he published a similarly satirical poetry book - featuring 23 illustrated tales that open up over 128 pages. His content focuses on adolescent outsiders struggling to navigate life and yearning for connection in a stringent society. Burton's cast of ethereal, melancholic misfits - Mummy Boy, Junk Girl and Melonhead - will provoke multiple re-reads - each time revealing new subtleties. At the end of this month, we will run a series of Design Camp workshops on October 29th, 30th and 31st related to Coding and Interactive Storytelling, Architecture and Worldbuilding, Stop Motion Animation, Strange Design and Digital Character Design. These classes will help on their voyage into visual media.

Burton's critical success has made him a sought-after visionary. He frequently globe-trots for projects and recently worked on the BAFTA nominated Netflix series - Wednesday (2020 - Present). He has adapted his creative process to keep up with this event-filled lifestyle - becoming imaginatively resourceful when inspiration strikes on the go. Paper napkins are normally reserved for removing waste. In this spellbinding sketchpad, Burton subverts serviettes into canvases for his work, and uses simple tools like a biro pen and bar snacks. Burton provides the viewer with an intimate look at his creative sprouting points and offers a glimpse of his creations before they metamorphose for print or the silver screen.