1. Illustrating Joy and Edification

    Well, damn. I had a rather lengthy post about this and then Chrome froze and i had to exit without it backing up. 

    Anyway, Have you ever wanted to steal a library book? In the digital age, we are able to reduce writing, stories and words to elemental blocks such as keystrokes and blips, but sometimes the character of the book, the wear and the printing of its era is what captivates you. I am a lover of folktalkes, fairytales, myths, legends and gigantic lies. At best they offer you a lesson or a mirror, and at worse they have no depth or promote prejudice without cause. 

    So, this collection attracted me not just because they were classic tales but because they’re retold with great care by Hutchinson and Lenski.

    Copyright is 1925 with this being the 19th edition and the library stamping it 1961. It is a junior book, with large lettering, and though i feel like scanning the whole thing, it thought i’d focus on the color illustrated plates by Lenski. She’s a remarkable artist with an impressive legacy (read here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lois_Lenski) and I’d like to know more about Hutchinson but didn’t find anything in my lazy google research.

    The stories are: Henny Penny; The Old Woman and her Pig; The Pancake; The Three Bears; The Three Billy Goats Gruff; Peter Rabbit; The Three Pigs; The Little Red Hen and the Grain of Wheat; Little Black Sambo (yes, that one); The Cock, the Mouse and the Little Red Hen; The Travels of a Fox; Lazy Jack; Mr. and Mrs. Vinegar; The Elves and the Shoemaker; Bremen Town Musicians; and Cinderella.

    Color Illustrations here, but drawings throughout. 


    Splashpage


    Cinderella


    Mr and Mrs Vinegar


    The Travels of a Fox


    Three Little Pigs


    The Three Bears

    WAH! Can’t I just keep it? Oh wait… maybe a child will find this book and be mesmerized by the alien nature of a dusty book and captivated by the illustrations as I am! Maybe it’ll encourage him or her to read more. Yep- this is the promise and hope of libraries. I’ll take it back (and pay my overdue fine!)

Notes