1968 Eaton / Campus Book Club Pictorial View, 'Lord of the Flies'

This 1968 pictorial view, drawn by Tom Eaton for Campus Book Club, depicts the setting of William Golding's 1954 iconic novel, Lord of the Flies.

A Closer Look

Depicting the unnamed island setting, this view illustrates several crucial scenes from the book, including Ralph's use of a conch shell to call an assembly early in the novel, the signal fire which offers hope of salvation, the site of Piggy's death, and the namesake Lord of the Flies, a severed pig's head on a stake, an offering to an imaginary beast that haunts the boys' fragile society. The verso includes a promotion for additional products from the Campus Book Club, including 2001: A Space Odyssey and a teacher edition of The Scarlet Letter.

Lord of the Flies

First published in 1954, Lord of the Flies was written by British author William Golding as an allegory of the horrors of the mid-20th century in the wake of the World War II (1939 - 1945) (Golding piloted a landing craft during the D-Day invasion of Normandy) and amid the threat of global nuclear conflict. Describing a group of boys stranded on a remote island (resembling the 'state of nature' postulated by Enlightenment philosophers) in the wake of a destructive nuclear conflict, the novel follows the attempts of the boys to organize their society. These efforts quickly descend into authoritarian power grabs, paranoid hysteria, groupthink, and primal violence. The central conflict between Ralph and Jack represents the duality of human nature, capable of civilization, but prone to violence and savagery, especially under difficult circumstances.

Golding encountered trouble finding a publisher for the work, and it was harshly criticized in some circles for being dark, cynical, and for including depictions of violence against children. Even today, the book faces censureship in multiple countries, but it nevertheless has been ranked among the 20th century's best works of youth literature.

Publication History and Census

This view was drawn by artist Tom Eaton for Campus Book Club, a division of Scholastic Books, in 1968. It is one of a series of poster-style prints relating to youth literature produced in the 1960s by Campus Book Club. The present work is not cataloged in the OCLC.