Clinton, MS: The Institute for Southern Storytelling at Mississippi College (June 2024)

First Edition. Signed by John G. Anderson and Anthony Thaxton.

Hardcover in decorated boards.

As new.

Before The Horn Island Logs of Walter Anderson, the Islander traveled ashore.

An explorer as well as an artist, Walter Anderson consistently kept logs and created artwork on his journeys. Whether he was walking through China toward Tibet, sailing a small boat out to camp on a wilderness island, or bicycling two thousand miles, his travels are fascinating and paint an image of a unique life. The Bicycle Logs of Walter Anderson gives an extraordinary opportunity to look through the eyes of an artist as he is becoming an artist. Through this extensive collection of mostly never-before-seen art and writings, we can travel along with him on his adventures and share in his intense love of life.

Walter's son, John G. Anderson, sets the Logs in context with historical events to show what was happening in his life when each one was being written. Because these logs span his whole life, they provide a complete timeline and give readers an opportunity to understand him better by reading his own words and looking through his eyes. By revealing why he lived, this book opens the door to exciting new questions about him and about his world.

JOHN G. ANDERSON, the youngest child of Sissy and Walter Anderson, grew up in the artistic retreat at Shearwater Pottery. After college, he served as an officer in the US Navy. Following this, he worked as a teacher, a national park ranger, and a marine biologist/ecologist before returning to graduate school to study neuroscience and become a psychologist. In the past several years, he has been the curator or co-curator for twelve exhibits of his father's art. He has written about him extensively and participated in the production of several films on his father including Walter Anderson: The Extraordinary Life and Art of the Islander which is available to stream on PBS Passport.

ANTHONY THAXTON has won awards as a painter, educator, television director, and filmmaker. He was named the 2019 Distinguished Art Alumnus of the Year for Mississippi College. Thaxton’s art has been featured in magazines and books, including Love Letters: An Illustrated Courtship and Drawn to Christ, and his photographs and videos have been shown on Good Morning America, FOX & Friends, and CNN.com, He writes, directs, films, and edits the Palate to Palette television series through his production company, Thaxton Studios. He produced a line of instructional videos for Hall of Fame illustrator Thomas Blackshear and has authored an upcoming book on the artist. He is the co-author of The Flip Side, a look at overcoming failure. He enjoys playing music with his son, painting with his daughter, and traveling with his beautiful wife.