When I was a child, we had a book called Robin and the Pirates. You could spend hours pouring over it, and each time you would find something even more exciting and alarming. I think my sister has got that book, but luckily I found another by the same author and illustrator: Ernest in the Wild West written by Ermanno Libenzi and illustrated by Adelchi Galloni. He is capable of working in a remarkable variety of styles, as you can see from this page.
It has all the qualities I loved in Robin and the Pirates: pages crammed full of deliciously scary pictures, funny and edgy and really quite surreal. Not your average children’s book at all.
The story is about Ernest the photographer’s journey through the Wild West to take pictures of General Custer. The drawings are a explosion of characters and events:
Adelchi’s signature style in this series is his wild changes of scale -for example, the immense slave merchant and his tiny slaves:
Scary frontiersmen fighting:
Slaves escaping from sharp toothed baddies:
Large southern belles:
More sharp teeth and watermelons:
And those were just a few details from the first page. Further on we have a river boat with sharp shooters, card sharps, detectives and horses:
We are invited to the wedding of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane:
Those labels on the flowers say “Jesse James” “Billy the Kid” and “Butch Cassidy”. See Wild Bill Hickok light his cigar with a dollar bill:
And Calamity Jane’s wedding outfit:
We meet General Custer, a “very vain man”
And check out this indian’s tatoos, depicting Custers Last Stand:
We learn that good horses smoke cigars:
And bad horses smoke cigarettes:
And then of course, the dancing girls:
There is so much else I have not shown you. Train robberies and bar room brawls, the gold rush, a bear hunt, loggers, prize fighters, a buffalo stampede, the rescue of the chief’s sun, Custer’s last stand…
Masha du Toit 
Aug 26, 2009 @ 00:46:12
Those alarming pictures. The only things that were more deliciously horrible were the Hieronymus Bosch pictures of Hell. The pirate book, particularly, and Bosch, both had the same scary relish in depicting surreal nastiness…
Aug 26, 2009 @ 07:11:44
I’ve always wondered about that Hieronymus Bosch book. I spent an awful lot of time looking at those deliciously horrible pictures. I’m not sure which were more unsettling, the ones of heaven, or the ones of hell.
Sep 04, 2009 @ 23:29:52
This book was one of my favorites too. On balance, I think I loved Robin and the Pirates more, and I’ve been trying to track down a copy for years – but with no success. Please, please, please try and get some scans of your sister’s copy to share with us. I love your site. So many fabulous children’s books.
Sep 05, 2009 @ 07:36:04
I’m going to have to get that book, if only for long enough to scan it 🙂
Sep 21, 2009 @ 02:01:38
I bought Robin and The Pirates for my two children when I was stationed in the Navy back in the 70’s. I bought a copy from the Navy Exchange in the Philippines. If I had known then how it would fascinate so many people I would have bought more copies. Please let me know when you scan pictures from the book. My children would love to see them again. Alas, that book from the 70’s has long disappeared however the memory of it still lingers even though my two are now adults.
All the best,
Steve
Out Of Orion
Sep 21, 2009 @ 10:29:00
Will do! 🙂
My sister lives in a different city from me, but I’m hoping to borrow that book soon. Want to have another thorough look at it myself.
Oct 09, 2009 @ 21:40:42
I love Ermanno Libenzi’s ‘Adventures of Ernest in Africa’ book which I had as a child and still have – I have been searching for copies of this and the Robin and the Pirates book and also Ernest in the Wild West – without success of any. If anyone finds any for sale – LET ME KNOW!!!
Oct 25, 2009 @ 20:23:44
Hello!! do you have illustrations of the Adventures of Ernest in Africa?? I lost the book when I was a child and it’s impossible to find it
Oct 26, 2009 @ 10:00:15
Hi Joan I wish I did! I’ve not even seen that one. Who knows, maybe it will pop up in a second hand bookshop somewhere.
Nov 02, 2009 @ 20:59:17
Thanks so much for the excellent analysis of this wonderful book. I came across it relatively recently; it was always a favorite of my stepkids. The style reminds me strongly of the animation in Yellow Submarine (by Heinz Edelmann and a large team of animators). It also seems like a forbear of Lane Smith (The Stinky Cheese Man et al). Love Lane Smith! Thanks again!
Nov 02, 2009 @ 21:26:58
True! It does have a bit of that Yellow Submarine vibe. Its been a while since I’ve seen that. I’ve been looking at Dudley Edwards again as well. Must check out Lane Smith again, thanks for the reminder! 🙂
Jan 06, 2010 @ 03:02:08
Ernest in the Wild West was my favourite book growing up and now it is my sons fav. Would love to find the Adventures in Africa one. Can anyone help?
Jan 08, 2010 @ 11:12:01
I was so excited to find this today! Ernest in the Wild West was by far my favorite book as a child. I didn’t know that my parents could have just bought me the book, so I always used to check it out from the library, or wait until someone else was done with it, and check it out again.
I had no idea about the two other books. I hope to get these through the Inter Library Loan, and hopefully make scans.
Thanks for your great blog post!
Jan 08, 2010 @ 11:21:34
I know the feeling! There were quite a few books I used to take out from our library repeatedly – when I was little – but I cant remember their titles and always hope to track them down again. There was one about a little ghost who gets lost and cant find his way home, which I’m always hoping to find. Good luck with that library loan… Maybe I should check our libraries here, you never know they might have some of the other Adelchi Galloni books.
Masha
Jan 20, 2010 @ 23:03:35
I was just googling for Robin and the pirates in the hope of being able to buy it somewhere. As a child in Spain I had both Robin and the Pirates and “Bachicha en el Africa misteriosa”, which must be Ernest in Africa… I can tell you it is an astonishing book. Words cannot do justice to these books… I still have them albeit half-chewed by a cat and defaced by a destructive cousin. I’d love to get new copies… How come they are not being reprinted? It’s such a shame.
Mar 06, 2010 @ 13:20:02
I live in Italy, and i have the following titles by Adelchi Galloni:
“Robin and the pirates”, “Ernest in the wild west”, “Ernest in Africa” and “La Tigre a Scacchi” (i dont know if this last one has been translated in your language)
I really loved these books when I was a child!
Mar 07, 2010 @ 05:48:28
Tommasco,
I own a copy of Ernest, but have never seen the others you mention, nor can I find them anywhere. Is it possible to have them scanned? I would love the see the work, but I cannot find it anywhere.
I am considering working on a book like the Ernest series, but based in South East Asia, and India, and I would love to see more of Gallonis amazing work.
Mar 07, 2010 @ 09:46:26
Hi Tommaso – I’ve not heard of “La Tigre a Scacchi” before – very curious 🙂
Masha
Mar 07, 2010 @ 09:51:13
Hi Eric I’m hoping to get a chance to scan “Ernest and the pirates” soon – but I’ve never seen any of the others. Maybe they will get re-published? We can live in hope 🙂
Masha
Mar 17, 2010 @ 12:50:12
I was reading Robin and the Pirates to my son last night – well, showing him the pictures, he’s only 2. It’s a book that I loved to pieces, literally, when I was a boy. It’s hanging apart and held together with yellowing sellotape, but it’s still a thrill to look at the pictures and admire the skill and imagination. It had never occured to me until this morning to look for other stuff that he’d done. Thanks for taking the time to scan the pictures and show us. I’m sure that his style has inspired the way that I draw now, I remember spending hours trying to draw from the book and making up new drawings using this style. I’m now a 2d animator, so I guess it rubbed off.
Mar 17, 2010 @ 12:57:40
🙂 Thats a lucky two year old
Our copy of Robin also shows the sign of many years of love. I only recently became aware of the profound influence children’s books have had on my artistic development. Although I find that some of the books I love best now, I found frightening and too “intense” when I was little.
Do you have any examples of your work online? Curious to see.
Masha
Sep 24, 2010 @ 09:49:35
I just want you to know, that “Robin and the pirates” is republished this year by a swiss publishing house named atlantis (zurich).
Best,
Alice
Sep 24, 2010 @ 15:07:00
Hi Alice – yes – I had heard. Great news!
Oct 07, 2010 @ 22:05:59
I have Robin and the Pirates. It was falling apart, so I had it repaired and then generously gave it away to my friend’s kids. I made a copy for myself, though.
Did not know there are other books with his illustrations! Wonderful! Something new to get!
Jan 20, 2011 @ 22:42:57
Wow I thought I was the only one who remembered those Ernest Adventure books! I was actually looking for “The Adventures of Ernest in Africa” a book I Enjoyed as a child. The illustrations where endless in detail, I never tired that book!
I had forgotten about the “Wild West Adventure” until I saw the illustrations in your blog! Great to know someone else enjoyed these books the way I did, please don’t hesitate to contact me, & if you have “The Adventures of Ernest in Africa” Please post some post some of those illustrations, I have been unable to locate that book of late )
Very Truly,
Mersyone
Jan 21, 2011 @ 06:34:49
Thanks for your comment! Yes, arent they wonderful? I wish I had the Africa book, but I’ve not even seen it! But I hear some rumblings that the Ernest books may get republished so keep a lookout for those. It looks like you are about to start a new blog? I hope it goes well 🙂
Jan 27, 2011 @ 22:40:46
I have in my possession the treasure that is the Ernest in Africa book I was given in grade 1, in 1975, while living in Singapore. My mother taught me to respect books, and every page is intact and unblemished. This book was shared with my nieces and nephews. When they stayed over, we would pour over a page for 20 minutes, prior to bedtime. I did not know that there were other books until I read this blog! So, THANK YOU!I
Robin and the Pirates has just recently been reprinted in German (Robin und die Piretins) by Atlantis Verlag (Zurich), and also in Danish and Swedish (different publishers). It was also published in French by Sarbacane (France) in December 2010. The French version is “temporarily out of stock” on Amazon.ca, but I just purchased a brand spanking new reprint copy from Amazon.fr (they have a pretty good Google translator option on their site) for 14.41 Euros + 10.9 euros for shipping to Vancouver, Canada (works out to Can $34.50, or US $34.75). I figure I can get the book translated, but now I have the artwork!!!!! (Robin et les Pirates)
I will see what I can do about scanning some pages of the Africa book to post on this blog. They are INCREDIBLE in their level of detail. I never tire of them!
Let me know if you want them.
Jan 28, 2011 @ 07:10:18
Fantastic news! Please let me know if you have any scanned images to view 🙂 I’ve very curious to see the Robin in Africa, as that is the one I’ve never had a chance to see. Cant wait.
Jan 28, 2011 @ 07:33:03
I have an excellent quality scanner at my disposal (my boyfriend’s favorite hobby is photography, and photographic restoration in particular), but the book is too wide and long (26cmx30cm). I have to find a print shop that will be ok with violation of copyright laws. I would like to make a copy for my brother, who is expecting his first child in April! I have never seen any images of Ernest in the Wild West (other than those posted above), but from what I can see, Adelchi Galloni went OVER THE TOP in Africa. In some scenes, it seemed that he would rather have not had to give any space up for text!
I am cruel, teasing everyone so! I will get on it.
I profess that I am an Ernest nerd!
Jan 28, 2011 @ 07:36:41
Oh now I really cannot wait to see them. Sounds fabulous!
Jan 28, 2011 @ 08:51:53
I just found 6 used hardcopies of Ernest in the Wild West for sale on Amazon by 90%+ rated sellers. Prices range from US$129.40 to $279.05. OUCH!
Here’s the link!
Mar 13, 2011 @ 12:53:39
Yep and I had Ernest goes to Africa
Jul 11, 2011 @ 15:24:47
Hi Masha,You have a great site going on here. I found it recently & am knocked out by the Adelchi Galloni art. Thanks for sharing those mouth-watering bites of his Ernest in the Wild West.
When I first saw it, I thought that it was some long-lost Tomi Ungerer book from some particularly insane phase from his life that had been suppressed!
Maybe one day publishers will reprint the Ernest book, although those smokin’ horses will probably frighten the censors off for a long time to come. Here in the UK (and the US) people still get uptight about even cartoons that use tobacco. Crazy huh?
Thanks again for the great pics! – Steve
Jul 12, 2011 @ 08:08:34
Thanks Steve. I did hear a rumour that those books were going to be republished so we may see what happens to the cigars 🙂 I could kick myself, as I recently visited my sister (12 hours drive away) and forgot to borrow her copy of Robin and the Pirates. Maybe that is worth a 12 hour drive all by itself!
And now I’m going to have to check out Tom Ungerer.
Jul 12, 2011 @ 16:10:48
Masha – Thanks – It looks like at least Ernest and the Pirates is back in print in an affordable (If not English language) version. Surely some of those pirates have a pipe or at least a cheroot in site! What is it with these censors and smoking?
If you’ve not encountered Tomi Ungerer yet then you are really in for a treat. Whilst I can’t promise that Tomi has the same obsession with detail that Galloni has in the Ernest books, it’s Tomi’s orginal style and he’s a legend in Europe. Check out Tomi’s website for a taste. Some of his children’s books are truly inspired, visually crackers and often poetic. And they’re mostly still in print too!
Hey, I think you’ve started a Galloni fan club here!
Best – Steve
Jan 08, 2012 @ 03:08:03
i have a copy of robin and the pirates and loved it a little bit to much as a child. i would love to get another copy as i now have a child who im sure would love it too. do you know how to purchase. obviously its out of print. any hope or am i kidding myself. curious m
Jan 09, 2012 @ 08:49:39
Michael, as far as I know there were plans to reprint these books, but I dont know when or where this is happening. It would be great, though. I’m going to do an Amazon search just in case…
Feb 14, 2012 @ 14:40:58
I have a very high quality scan of the entire Robin and the Pirates book. if anyone is interested i could perhaps post it online for a time. my brother in england has our old copy and he took high res digital photos of it for me. it is an all time masterpiece. a real shame it is out of print.
Extremely interested to learn about the Ernest book.
Feb 14, 2012 @ 14:52:49
Sounds like a grand idea, Dave!
Feb 19, 2012 @ 23:21:15
I have taken some photos today from my treasured copy of The Adventures of Ernest in Africa and am trying to work out how and where I can upload them for you so that you can see some of Galloni’s fantastic illustrations!
Feb 20, 2012 @ 06:16:55
Wow! Sounds great. Cant wait to see 🙂
Feb 20, 2012 @ 11:15:40
maybe some free online storage would do the trick
Feb 20, 2012 @ 11:52:05
i created a new google gmail account for the purpose and am in the process of emailing zipped files (containing jpg image files) to it.
you can log in and download the attachments from the emails –
robinandthepirates@gmail.com
password: libenzi1
enjoy!
Feb 20, 2012 @ 11:55:26
if you like you can email the photos of ernest to that account too
Mar 11, 2012 @ 13:58:47
I’ll send you some images from “La tigre a scacchi” (The checked tiger)… let me know if you like them!
Mar 12, 2012 @ 01:42:00
they are brilliant! thanks
Mar 12, 2012 @ 01:46:18
that is another book i previously didn’t know about. looks really amazing.
Apr 29, 2012 @ 19:07:54
Just uploaded Ernest in the Wild West, one of my favourite books ever as a kid. Would love to see Ernest in Africa. Not even a single Google image.
Apr 30, 2012 @ 00:34:53
fantastiche!! thank you. a wonderful book it is indeed 🙂
Apr 30, 2012 @ 08:19:54
Robin, where can I see these images?
Apr 30, 2012 @ 10:15:40
Just log in to the email above that Dave set up.
Apr 30, 2012 @ 10:21:44
you’ve done a great job with the scans. nice one! i really love the book, it’s just as great as Robin and the Pirates.
Oct 11, 2012 @ 21:01:48
I’ve recently bought 3 more books with amazing illustrations by Adelchi Galloni: Verne “Around the World in 80 Days”, Raspe “The Baron of Munchhausen” and Swift “Gulliver’s Travel”. I hope I can send you some of these amazing images asap.
Ciao from Italy!
Oct 12, 2012 @ 06:28:52
Sounds fantastic!
Dec 18, 2012 @ 01:42:21
My sisters and I loved Robin and the Pirates. It was my favorite book. About 9 years ago when I had my first daughter I became obsessed with finding this book which then led me to tracking down both Ernest in Africa, and Ernest in the Wild West. I now have all three in impeccable condition but I am afraid to take them of and read them to my children because I don’t want them to get ruined. Such a shame, they really are super awesome to look at.
Dec 18, 2012 @ 11:14:20
why don’t you show them digital copies of them. we have high quality scans of Robin and the Pirates and Ernest in the Wild West that are available at robinandthepirates@gmail.com (password: libenzi1). just download the zip files and unpack them for the jpeg images. we have never seen it but would absolutely love to read Ernest in Africa!! is it possible for you to make scans of the book?
Dec 18, 2012 @ 16:28:46
Dave thank you. I may even be able to make an epub for you out of those files for you, I will have to see what I can do. It is hard to get anything done with four little munchkins running around. Unfortunately I don’t have access to a good scanner or a scanner for that matter. I did take a couple of pics with my camera just to give a glimpse. I will email them to robinandthepirates@gmail.
Dec 18, 2012 @ 17:50:07
that is wonderful! thank you. actually those scans of Robin were simply done with a regular digital camera set on high resolution. but with 4 kids running around you are doing well to get anything else done at all…
Dec 30, 2012 @ 11:08:07
I’ve just sent to robinandthepirates@gmail 3 images from Jules Verne’s Il giro del mondo in 80 giorni (Around the World in Eighty Days), illustrated by Adelchi Galloni. I have two more works by Adelchi: the Baron of Munchhausen and the Gulliver’s travel, which are the very first illustrated books by Adelchi, and in which he uses a different and more elaborated style.
Dec 30, 2012 @ 11:51:23
The Baron of Muchhausen! That sounds fantastic.
Dec 31, 2012 @ 15:20:00
Fantastisch! awesome stuff, thank you.
Jul 07, 2013 @ 21:14:36
Just stumbled across this thread while looking for Ernest in Africa on Amazon. Thanks so much for setting up that email!
Jul 08, 2013 @ 05:12:33
Your welcome! if you are ever lucky enough to acquire a copy of Ernest in Africa, we’d all love to get a scan of it…
Oct 14, 2013 @ 02:30:44
I want to purchase these books
Oct 14, 2013 @ 03:08:12
they are virtually impossible to find. good luck!
Oct 14, 2013 @ 03:25:43
There is an ernest in the wild west on ebay now for like $189.
Oct 25, 2013 @ 19:49:16
Hello fellow ernest officianoados …
I bring good news – I am currently emailing, page by page, The Adventures of Ernest in Africa to the email address described above.
I do not own this copy, but managed to get the owner to send me scans. If anyone has a copy, I’d be interested in buying.
Yours,
-c
Oct 25, 2013 @ 20:52:21
Chris!
You are magnificent! I have not seen the inside of this book in ages.
You rock, thank you so much!
Alykhan
Oct 25, 2013 @ 22:48:47
unbelievably awesome! this is our holy grail!
Oct 26, 2013 @ 00:18:52
OK, it is up – sorry for the quality of the scans and the occasional size mismatches but I received them as individual scans, so stitching was imperative because as we all know, you can’t look at one of these books without taking in the entirety of the images.
It is good to hear that others have been searching for this as long as I have. My copy of Ernest in the Wild West dates from the early 1970s and has had a lot of rough care, though we came across a used Robin recently in perfect condition from a library sale. I’ve still never seen an Adventures of Ernest in Africa in print, but this is good enough for now…
Cheers to all Ernest/Libenzi lovers!
Oct 26, 2013 @ 00:52:53
I would be willing to part with all three of the books in great condition for a small fortune. I am a lover of these books but everyone has a price and I need a minivan.
Oct 26, 2013 @ 15:47:21
that says it all… that these 3 books alone would have the worth of a car.
Oct 26, 2013 @ 15:50:19
and thank you once again Chris. Ernest in Africa is just as unbelievably fantastic as i had hoped. it is such a thrill to finally read it.
Oct 26, 2013 @ 16:00:47
but can anyone answer me this.. how can these books, which surely are all classics and among the very best books (children orientated or otherwise) ever published, not be reprinted?
Dec 04, 2013 @ 21:09:39
My question is there not some way to print the images out into a picture book format? I know there is likely some legality issues – but come on this books has been out of print since the 1970s.
Dec 05, 2013 @ 01:37:34
i advise that you could print them out on A3 and just stack the pages or laminate them if you’re really keen
Feb 19, 2014 @ 07:58:51
Greetings,
I have tried to login to the email account mentioned above ‘robinandthepirates’ but I cannot get in : gmail keeps asking me for verification.
Is there any way I can gain access to download the Ernest books ?
Thanks
Feb 19, 2014 @ 11:37:36
yeah, the account detected some so called suspicious activity. i’ve changed the password to “libenzi3”. let me know if it continues to complain.
Feb 19, 2014 @ 16:40:28
Many thanks Dave – works like a charm now. I have forwarded the emails with the attachments and I cleaned up the sent folder by deleting the forwarded messages.
Cannot wait to start reading and sharing with my children.
Regards.
Feb 21, 2014 @ 01:27:13
Glad to help spread the joy!
Sep 05, 2014 @ 01:24:46
Fantastic news that the Robin and Ernest books might be republished! Very much hoping it actually happens. Three cheers for Ermanno Libenzi and Adelchi Galloni!
Dec 06, 2014 @ 22:10:32
Here’s a copy of Ernest In Africa that just showed up on ABE Books:
http://www.abebooks.com/Adventures-Ernest-Africa-Libenzi-Ermanno-Hamlyn/14538458605/bd?cm_ven=nl&cm_cat=trg&cm_pla=want_CM&cm_ite=readmore
Jun 12, 2015 @ 17:18:46
Hello there! Just found this post while searching for information about a pirate book I had as a kid, which I am pretty sure is Robin and the Pirates. I’m also fairly certain I had Ernest in the Wild West. Are the scans mentioned in this comment thread still available somehow? I would love to be able to revisit these stories.
Also, did one of the characters in Robin and the Pirates have a bloody nose? That’s my most vivid memory of the book!
Thanks!
Mar 29, 2018 @ 16:44:30
Haven’t been able to access the email address :(. I have been racking my brain for ages to remember the name of Ernest in the Wild West which I had as a child. I never read Ernest in Africa or Robin and the Pirates but would love to see them. It sounds like physical copies of the books are like gold dust!
Mar 29, 2018 @ 20:08:09
I have been racking my brains for months to try and remember the title of a book I remembered from childhood and today it came to me – of course it was Ernest and the Wild West. I was thrilled to find this post and see the pictures which are joyously familiar!
I’d love to access the gmail account (if it is still going) to see Robin and the Pirates too but the security settings are locked down. If anyone sees this comment and is able to share the Robin and the Pirates pics (or Ernest’s Adventures in Africa) I’d be hugely grateful – it looks like tracking down physical copies of the books will be near impossible!
Apr 17, 2018 @ 13:51:16
… and “Robin and the Pirates” is available as a “physical copy”; alas not in English, but there is a German and a French edition. While the German one seems to be out of print, the latter is still out there:
Current price: about 17 Euro, approx. 21 USD.
Sep 16, 2018 @ 21:42:19
The links to the gmail account and Abe books are no longer working, is there a way to fix this?
Sep 17, 2018 @ 10:57:24
It’s all here https://www.dropbox.com/sh/poxqzevsnj5dotk/AACjFtubmPthH1ZFm89TGbWpa?dl=0
Apr 16, 2019 @ 10:30:59
I have a copy of Adventures of Ernest in Africa in fantastic condition that I have owned from new. Does anyone know it’s value for insurance cover?
Apr 16, 2019 @ 10:34:05
Hi, I have owned a copy of Adventures of Ernest in Africa from new, and it is still in fantastic condition. For insurance cover what is the value of this book please anyone?
Apr 22, 2019 @ 06:44:45
this site seems to confirm my hunch that it should be worth $200 – $250 in US dollars. https://booko.co.nz/9780600313236/Adventures-of-Ernest-in-Africa
Jul 01, 2019 @ 05:52:40
Since you love artwork like Galloni’s, you should have a look at The Zaucer of Zilk by Brendan McCarthy.. it’s sublime and very psychedelic.. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/n8ztk39op7wldxx/AAC-tQWp30fbFjGwY0Jf8lU9a?dl=0
Jul 29, 2023 @ 10:30:05
Hi thanks for postingg this