fairy tales and fables

i was unfamiliar with gyo fujikawa's work until i picked this up at a thrift store a few years ago...how could i ever have been in the dark?! simply amazing and downright adorable, as well. as you may know, anything fairy tale or fable is alright with me and this book is no exception. i think it's another must for your library.

this book includes the moon maiden along with other standard classics... it's really a wonderful resource.

fairy tales and fables edited by eve morel
revised edition, 1970, grosset & dunlap, new york
illustrated by gyo fujikawa

the wonderful story of how you were born

i love the cover of this book...how the back looks like the back of the children's heads and the writing is reversed. very clever! this book actually includes the words vagina, penis, and testicles...i almost giggled like a little girl. but truly i was surprised since this book was published in 1959. this is actually a revised edition (it was originally published in 1952). i just figured everything in the '50s was storks and cabbages. the lithograph illustrations are lovely too, and it really is very informative.

the wonderful story of how you were born by sidonie matsner gruenberg
revised edition, 1959, doubleday & company, inc., new york
illustrated by hildegard woodward

simplified mechanical drawing: a textbook for beginners

i normally steer clear of old textbooks, although there are a lot out there which are not only informative, but also designed really well. the textbook today is not the calibre of yesteryear's textbooks, that's for sure. anyways...this one on mechanical drawing techniques is really wonderful. i find the illustrations totally captivating. i also imagine that if you were into learning this type of drawing style, this book could be very helpful. with most instructional illustrations today being primarily digitally driven, i find these hand-drawn illustrations refreshing. on a personal note, although i do finish my illustrations digitally...they all start hand-drawn, and i always prefer to hand write any text included, so i guess i'm partial. i'm also reminded of draplin design co.'s ideas on american design, and i do agree. by the way, this book was written and illustrated by an "instructor in mechanical drawing, south bend central junior high school, and vocational school, south bend, indiana..." not some high falutin' engineering professor from carnegie mellon. as i said, refreshing.

simplified mechanical drawing: a textbook for beginners by thurman c. crook, b.s.
revised edition, 1935, mcgraw-hill book company, inc.
printed by the maple press company, york, pa.