3.31.2010

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

3.23.2010

peter pauper's drink book







a rad library reader, joseph, sent in some scans of ruth mccrea's illustrations for peter pauper's drink book...i've spoken (unabashedly) of my love for all things peter pauper press, and i was overjoyed!

joseph is a graphic designer in nyc and has an appreciation for such things as well...thank you kindly joseph for sharing these illustrations with us!

peter pauper's drink book: a guide to drinks and drinking compiled by peter beilenson
1964, peter pauper press, mt. vernon
illustrated by ruth mccrea

3.18.2010

captain kangaroo and his pals







wow, captain kangaroo sure did have some supersonic sideburns...i forgot how large those things were!

anyways, this nostalgic book has amazing illustrations...i guess that captain kangaroo paired up with pals vitamins and this was the result. much better marketing than today's standards, i think. this once had a record, which is now sadly gone. here is an ad for it!

captain kangaroo and his pals: adventure on pirate island by jean conder soule
an mgm book / record combination, 1970, bristol meyers co.
illustrated by stanley wilde and beatrice kehoe

3.15.2010

brownie: girl scout handbook










chock full of good information for brownies and non-brownies everywhere!

brownie: girl scout handbook
second impression, 1963, girl scouts of the united states of america
illustrators not credited

3.12.2010

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.

3.05.2010

story hour readers: book two









i wish i had book one. i cannot say enough about this wonderful book. to me it's perfect (even though it's essentially a textbook). printed only in shades of orange, shades of grey and black and white of course. here is book three and a manual. also, it's illustrated by frank lloyd wright's sister...talented family!

story hour readers: book two by ida coe and alice j. christie
1914, american book company
illustrated by maginel wright enright

3.03.2010

amish moving day











i love this book...i forgot to photograph a charming bookplate too. the 3 color silkscreen illustrations are lovely. the book is letterpress in its entirety, even the illustrations...which appear to be first letterpress and then silkscreened (although here it is recorded that they are 4 color engravings, hmmm). all in all wonderful, and i'm glad to have it.

amish moving day by ella maie seyfert
first edition, 1942, thomas y. crowell company, new york
illustrated by henrietta jones

3.01.2010

all aboard for sunrise lands












interesting copperplate(?) illustrations...i think the illustrations used were the equivalent of today's clip art, and were most likely not created specifically for this book. there are many of differing styles and the whole seems a bit random.

all aboard for sunrise lands: a trip through california across the pacific to japan, china and australia by edward a. rand
second edition, 1881, d. lothrop & company, boston
illustrators not credited