the golden book of grimm's fairy tales

i love grimm's fairy tales...even though i still have a lasting fear of spinning wheels thanks to that little s.o.b. rumpelstiltskin. this is a really nice edition by golden press illustrated by gianni benvenuti.

the golden book of grimm's fairy tales retold by jane carruth
golden press, 1970, western publishing co., wisconsin
illustrated by gianni benvenuti

the little island

this is another vintage children's book that i own which is illustrated by leonard weisgard. this is an earlier book from 1946, and this book is a collaboration with margaret wise brown. golden macdonald was a pseudonym she used. the illustrations of this book are a lot darker in nature that weisgard's later works. i'm not sure why, besides the illustration style being influenced by the time and the aftermath of a world war probably holds some influence as well. it's beautifully illustrated, quite unique and the story is really wonderful too. it won the caldecott award in 1947.

the little island by golden macdonald
1st edition, 1946, doubleday & co., new york
illustrated by leonard weisgard
lithographed

community

since starting this blog i've discovered there's really a wealth of knowledge out there, and it's really good to know it's there and to be able to utilize it as a resource...here are some links that i've collected. i'll be adding to this collection and placing some of these permanently on the sidebar for future reference.

5b4 combines two things i'm very passionate about...photography and books...currently you can read about endeavors in publishing first hand. a great read.

children's literature...a huge collection of information on authors and illustrators.

book design stories with a fantastic index all compiled by a man named felix.

golden gems...a collection of little golden books and more with an emphasis on midcentury illustrations. good stuff.

a week of little golden books at meet me at mike's via handmade romance

a super cool pop up alphabet book at kanye's blog

the hunting of the snark...an interesting and intelligent study of all things lewis carroll.

i love typography...so do i, so do i.

the big book of nursery tales

i'm not going to go on and on about how much i love this book. i am a lover of books, hands down. i'm specifically a lover of books such as this. if you've been following this blog, then you know this by now. i must start with leonard weisgard. he's just amazing. the cover of the book even reads, "beautifully illustrated by..." beyond that...nursery tales such as "goldilocks and the three bears," "little red riding hood," and similar stories are all time favs for a good reason. these are watered down for the chillun of course, they can be quite morbid unabridged. i wish i had included a photo of weisgard's illustration for "goldilocks..." he chose to illustrate the bear's house as a dollhouse (or a dollhouse view) which i think is pure genius. if you're into midcentury illustrations, then you must grab yourself a copy.

the big book of nursery tales retold by evelyn andreas

nursery treasure books, 1954, grosset & dunlap, new york

illustrated by leonard weisgard

lithographed

lettering simplified: a manual for beginners

look at that type...i love it. i'm always on the watch for interesting fonts and type and this cover embodies what appeals to me. i incorporate a lot of handwritten type into my illustration and a book like this really inspires me. it's more of an instruction manual for beginners (and when he says beginners he means it...it's kind of elementary) about writing clearly, aesthetically speaking. i like the addition of the different serifed fonts at the end for reference. garamond is one of my favorite.

lettering simplified: a manual for beginners by rand holub
bonanza books, 1957, watson-guptill publishers, inc., new york

pinocchio

there's a used bookstore around here that i visit on occasion...i don't go very often simply because i always forget it's there. i am so glad i remembered because it was a veritable feast of vintage children's books. some of them were ridiculously priced, but i found quite a few that were in my price range. this is one of the books i picked up and i am in love with it. pinocchio has always been one of my favorite stories, i enjoy the idea that something animate can be created from something inanimate...and be emotive or "human" enough to actually have flaws. anyways, this edition was designed by helga maass and illustrated by josé correas, both of which i couldn't find much information on. i am enamored of the line drawn style of the illustrations, the whole book is just fantastic...i highly recommend locating a copy. what i find odd about this book is that so many people are credited...the original author collodi, a general editor, an editorial director, a handful of associate editors and authors, a designer and an illustrator...quite a production!

pinocchio by collodi (retold by eve rouke)

edited by m. hughes miller, directed by josephine b. wolfe

the holly story book library, 1965, the world publishing co., cleveland

illustrated by josé correas

designed by helga maass

baby sister

this is a really cute book about bringing home a baby sister...so it's functional and cute. as all good books should be. i am totally enamored with the illustrations, especially the title page. that elephant just kills me. i could've used a book when my parents brought my little brother home...instead i got a baby alive doll which freaked me out because it pooped.

baby sister by valerie grayland

tip top elf book, 1964, rand mcnally & co., chicago

illustrated by marjorie cooper

animals on the farm

you know blogger can be really annoying with formatting...so i'm going to start a new format of crediting, and will instead credit everything at the end of everything. just saying.

i'm not a huge fan of little golden books (besides their tell-a-tale series and nature guides.) i get the whole concept and they did use some wonderful illustrators, but i do really find them lacking substance. at least the ones i've come across. i do like this one simply because it's a wonderful way to teach kids the names of animals and their offspring and how some words change in the plural. the illustrations are really special too.

animals on the farm, written by jan pfloog
a little golden book, tenth printing, 1981, western publishing, wisconsin
illustrator not credited (anyone know?)