Gustave Dore: Classic, evocative. No one did Red Riding Hood and the wolf better. 
Pre-Raphaelites: Technically, the Pre-Raphaelite were not book illustrators. However, they produced works based on stories, especially stories from myth and folklore. King Arthur crops up quite often. I've always liked the Pre-Raphaelites, even their tacky work, for their reliance on story. They influenced a generation of painters and illustrators, such as Rackham.
Arthur Rackham: In truth, I'm not a huge fan. The "spidery" look doesn't appeal.
However, the book about Rackham, Arthur Rackham: His Life and His Work by Derek Hudson, first printed in 1960, reprinted in 2022 is superb.
Rackham was a level-headed bloke who knew very well the difficulties of being an artist. In a letter to a fan and young artist, he advocates sticking to a job that pays while building up a portfolio. He also suggests that the young artist will one day have to choose between art for enjoyment and art at the behest of others. And he warns that it is difficult to make a living.
Rackham was lucky. He was extremely popular in his lifetime and made a very good living. But it was a job, however enjoyed. Hudson states, "[A]n analysis of 'symbolism' in Rackham's drawings, or a psychological interpretation of his work--not many of his commissions, be it remembered, were entirely of his own choosing--would be unlikely to reveal interesting repressions or afford valuable insights into Rackham's character" (44). If only all analysts of art were so level-headed!
Rackham also had a wonderful wife, who was a painter in her own right.
Jan Pienkowski: Like Rackham, Pienkowski create silhouette illustrations (see above). I loved these illustrations when I was younger. Like the next two illustrators, Pienkowski's work appeared in Cricket magazine!
Trina Schart Hyman: One of my favorites from the early days of Cricket Magazine. Her illustrations are detailed and clever. They are more homey than cartoonish though she also drew cartoons. Her "feel" is closer to Calvin & Hobbs than comic book, especially the clever wink-wink at the edges.
Hyman, of course, illustrated just about everything--from picture books set in contemporary times to classics to fairy tales. I also discuss Hyman here and here.
Quentin Blake: Quentin Blake, another Cricket alumnus, illustrated a great many of Roald Dahl's books. Roald Dahl is rather like the 20th century's answer to Hans Christian Andersen. Quentin Blake captured Dahl's texts in a quintessential fashion, rather like Tenniel captured Carroll's Alice.
Mercer Mayer: I love Mayer's lush illustrations. When I started searching for old, used books from my childhood online, Mrs. Beggs and the Wizard was one of the books I hunted up.
And many more...
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