Val Biro

Born on October 6, 1921, Balint Stephen Biro was a children’s author, artist and illustrator. He spent his childhood enjoying the Hungarian countryside, and in Budapest, where he studied art, until his parents, seeing cause for concern, sent him to London before the outbreak of WWII.

His student status protected him from being interned as an enemy to British national security, and he spent the next three years studying at Central School. While there, he was particularly influenced by wood engravings of John Farleigh, but soon discovered how time-consuming that process is and turned to scraperboard techniques as a quicker way to get the results he wanted.

Upon graduation, in 1942, he planned to enlist in the armed forces, but he was limited to working as an ambulance driver or for the National Fire Service. He chose the latter and began to build his illustration career on the side, publishing his first book (Bumpy's Holiday) in 1943, working as studio manager for Sylvan Press from 1944-46; production manager for C and J Temple from 1946-48; and art director for John Lehmann Publishers from 1948-51.

His career was incredibly prolific. Though I couldn't find anything close to a cohesive list of his work, it looks like after he went freelance in 1951, he did a LOT of book & magazine cover illustrations during the next two decades (one website cited 3000+!), including first editions for several of C.S. Forester's Hornblower books. He also did some interior work, though I was hard pressed to find any titles before The Story of Scotland, one of four in a series that also included a book on the Commonwealth, Australia, and Canada.

Part of what makes him tricky to research is the way he signed his name—as Biro, B. Biro, B.S. Biro, and as Val Biro—I haven't been able to tell if there's a chronology he used, but it's certain he became most well-known as Val.

It appears that his career really took off in 1966 when he published Gumdrop: The Adventures of a Vintage Car. Drawing on his passion for the 1926 Austin 12-4 that he owned, the vigorous illustrations and eventful text gathered a following, and (as far as I can tell) 36 more Gumdrop titles followed. (I have never seen a Gumdrop book in person, but I'll be on the lookout from now on!)

He didn't only write Gumdrop stories. From his studio in Amersham in Buckinghamshire, from 1975-2001, he managed to average writing and illustrating about one other book a year, and he continued to illustrate for other authors as well (particularly H.E. Todd, with whom he collaborated 14 times). He seemed to especially enjoy illustrating folk and fairy stories from around the world, and did editions of Andersen, Grimm, and Perrault, one of Hungarian stories, numerous individual tales, and a last collection, The Arabian Nights, in 2013.

Biro continued to work for his own enjoyment until his death on July 4, 2014.

Biography by Eli Evans
Formerly home educated and now father of five, Eli loves discovering amazing books, new and old, and is an artistic curator at heart. The owner and manager of Exodus since 1998, his focus is on offering thoughtful and well-written books that inspire the imagination and promote creativity and diligence while living for God. Read more of his reviews here.