John Austen was an English book illustrator. His early works, including a fine Hamlet

Hamlet

The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...

, were Beardsleyesque in style, but after 1925 he was influenced by the Art Deco

Art Deco

Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...

 movement. Books which he illustrated in this manner include Daphnis and Chloe

Daphnis and Chloe

Daphnis and Chloe is the only known work of the 2nd century AD Greek novelist and romancer Longus.-Setting and style:It is set on the isle of Lesbos during the 2nd century AD, which is also assumed to be the author's home. Its style is rhetorical and pastoral; its shepherds and shepherdesses are...

 and As You Like it

As You Like It

As You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 or early 1600 and first published in the folio of 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility...

. Austen used several techniques in his illustrations, including wood-engraving and scraperboard, and changed styles to suit the text he was illustrating. He was also involved in advertising

Advertising

Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...

, producing adverts and several posters. He was a friend of Alan Odle

Alan Odle

Alan Odle was an English illustrator, remembered today as the husband of the English novelist Dorothy Richardson. His grotesque and subversive style was a precursor of surrealism. He illustrated an English edition of Voltaire's Candide, Mark Twain's 1601 and The Mimiambs of Herondas...

 and Harry Clarke

Harry Clarke

Harry Clarke was an Irish stained glass artist and book illustrator. Born in Dublin, he was a leading figure in the Irish Arts and Crafts Movement.- History :...

and exhibited with them at the St George's Gallery in 1925.

Issue 27 of The Imaginative Book Illustration Society's 'Studies in Illustration' contains a full bibliography by Martin Steenson.