sparkle and spin

i'm happy to share this iconic book sparkle and spin by ann (not to be confused with ayn) and paul rand. to me, this is more of a celebration of bold, eye-catching and interesting graphics. particularly graphics that are interesting to children who shy away from the fairy tale, dreamy sort of pictures a lot of children books are headed towards. it is simply wonderful!

sparkle and spin by ann & paul rand
first edition, 1957, harcourt, brace and world, new york

round up

dutch picture books from 1810 to 1950 via the always fabulous biblio odyssey...a fantastic resource full of inspiration. be prepared to spend some time here!

if you love libraries, then you'll love a peek at 20 of the world's most beautiful libraries...i haven't been to any of these. although i've made a promise to myself to visit the library of congress next fall.

some lovely illustrations by charles keeping on automatism.

werner herzog reads children's books...at coilhouse...one of my favorite magazines!

a great collection of images of marilyn monroe reading...at come spy with me.

learn how to make a clever hogwart's style spell book at instructibles! via folk and fairy.

have you seen novel teas? i must order some.

mrs. lilien style mrs. literary book club...i love the personal library kit...can one actually be that organized?

once upon a blog covers fairy tale news of all kinds...

and i'll be back on monday with some more books! have a great weekend.

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

merry christmas! and a round up

i meant to post this before the holiday...but i figure, better late than next year :)

merry christmas!
1943, alfred a. knopf, new york
illustrated by natasha simkhovitch

i'll be back in 2010...until then:

a wonderful collection of imaginary idol 'gigi gaston' ephemera by josh gosfield at steven kasher gallery...via boing boing.

once upon a blog... chronicles fairy tale relevent information...great stuff!

the lost pleasure of browsing...it's so true, i am on the wall about electronic readers, i love the tactile feel of a book and the whole bookstore experience...via the mccune collection...a collection of rare books and bookmaking objects, which now belongs to the city of vallejo, ca...via biblio odyssey.

between the covers an exhibition on "women's magazines and their readers"...via nothing elegant.

the 10 essential classics according to antler magazine.

bangkok rare books...if only i had millions!

design is mine explores the golden age of illustration in ten images.

answers to frequently asked questions about old books and their values at the american library association's rare books department.

more rare books...yale's beinecke library...columbia university's...and penn's.

when bad covers happen to good books and 100 notable books of 2009 both are via automatism (who always posts the best book links).

i've also added a bunch of new links to the sidebar!

happy new year <3

the gingerbread boy, little red riding hood and the house that jack built

a compilation of three great stories...i love the naïveté of the cover!

little red riding hood is perhaps my favorite fairy tale of all...i grew up with a large painting of little red with the wolf hiding behind a tree. the painting was by this man named eddie newman, who was a street fighter boxer friend of my grandfather's. it was hung directly across from my bed and it gave me nightmares for years.
i used to have these cartoon dreams that the wolf was after me and would catch me by my wrist and gnaw on it. really unpleasant stuff for my 5 year old self. but after a while, i guess it seeped in and i grew to love it and not fear it...and now i'm a bit of a morbid adult and i'm sure this painting has something to do with it!

i told this story to a college professor of mine...i was taking a class titled something like "medieval women's culture" (it was a summer course). after the shock of troubadour poetry being read to me at 8 a.m., the love-lorn letters between abelard and heloise, and many discussions on nuns...i was prompted to share this for some reason and my professor said, "well you must be afraid of men!!" i realized her point, being, that fairy tales concern girls/women in particular ways that they might not men...although i'm not sure about that. anyways, discussion for another day.

the gingerbread boy, little red riding hood and the house that jack built
1945, whitman publishing, racine
illustrated by hilda miloche and wilma kane