From The ABC Book (vintage, undated)
Showing posts with label vintage picture books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vintage picture books. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
A Vintage Book About a Town Clock
Yesterday I happened upon a vintage book that I just couldn't pass up for my grandson. It's simply titled, "The Clock", and I picked it up for $3.00. What a treasure!
This delightful book, published in 1956, was written and illustrated by Esphyr Slobodkina (1908-2002), a citizen of the U.S. who was born in Russia.
Leonard Marcus, a renowned children’s book scholar, noted that “as the first picture book artist to experiment with collage, Slobodkina pointed the way for many later artists. Directly or indirectly, the example of her work set the stage for the distinctive contributions to the picture book by Leo Lionni, Ezra Jack Keats, Eric Carle, Ed Young, Lois Ehlert, and Ellen Stoll Walsh.”
Slobodkina's colorful artwork tells most of the story about a Vermont town and its Old Clock in the church tower. The clock tells the citizens of the town when it is time to get up, go to work, and go to bed...
One day the clock breaks, and everything becomes chaos! But an old lady named Mrs. Johnson temporarily takes the clock's place..."she was deaf and never waited for the chimes. She just knew that when she woke it was time to get up."
When she sees that the streets and shops are empty, she gets worried and begins banging on doors. If it hadn't been for Mrs. Johnson, the whole town would have slept in!
The townspeople finally decide that they will call a repairman to come and fix the clock. He comes with his long ladder and black tool bag.
He discovers that all the clock needs is to be cleaned, polished, and wound. The townspeople are comforted once again by the chimes that are the first thing they hear in the morning, and the last thing before going to sleep!
Do the pictures in The Clock look at all familiar? How about the author's name? Esphyr Slobodkina (whose career began with Margaret Wise Brown) also wrote and illustrated the beloved children's book, Caps for Sale...
This delightful book, published in 1956, was written and illustrated by Esphyr Slobodkina (1908-2002), a citizen of the U.S. who was born in Russia.
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Leonard Marcus, a renowned children’s book scholar, noted that “as the first picture book artist to experiment with collage, Slobodkina pointed the way for many later artists. Directly or indirectly, the example of her work set the stage for the distinctive contributions to the picture book by Leo Lionni, Ezra Jack Keats, Eric Carle, Ed Young, Lois Ehlert, and Ellen Stoll Walsh.”
Slobodkina's colorful artwork tells most of the story about a Vermont town and its Old Clock in the church tower. The clock tells the citizens of the town when it is time to get up, go to work, and go to bed...
One day the clock breaks, and everything becomes chaos! But an old lady named Mrs. Johnson temporarily takes the clock's place..."she was deaf and never waited for the chimes. She just knew that when she woke it was time to get up."
When she sees that the streets and shops are empty, she gets worried and begins banging on doors. If it hadn't been for Mrs. Johnson, the whole town would have slept in!
The townspeople finally decide that they will call a repairman to come and fix the clock. He comes with his long ladder and black tool bag.
He discovers that all the clock needs is to be cleaned, polished, and wound. The townspeople are comforted once again by the chimes that are the first thing they hear in the morning, and the last thing before going to sleep!
Do the pictures in The Clock look at all familiar? How about the author's name? Esphyr Slobodkina (whose career began with Margaret Wise Brown) also wrote and illustrated the beloved children's book, Caps for Sale...
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Vintage Collectible Art - in Books!
The "hunt" is the best part of the BOOKISH business I share with my daughter at The Brick Basement in Fullerton, CA. (Hopefully I'll be able to sell some of our finds online - more on that in the near future).
I'm especially excited about some books I found recently from the set BEST IN CHILDREN'S BOOKS, because they are from my own childhood - my mom read aloud to us from the books in the set we had growing up. Our volumes didn't have the book covers, so it's doubly fun to see the books with their original covers intact!
The 42 volume set, published between 1957 and 1961 by Nelson Doubleday. Each volume highlighted a mix of classics, original new stories, poetry, and non-fiction from many notable authors. They also showcased art from some of the better know illustrators and artists of that time.
Here are a few favorite illustrations from the books I have:
Volume #33 (1960) was full of vintage treasures:
Volume #31 (1960) is especially poignant, because of some very collectible art by the late Maurice Sendak that I'll show you in my next post; but I'll end today's with these illustrations by the Petershams...
Not to be missed: Volumes 1 and 18, with artwork by the D'Aulaires; Volume 20, with Jean de Brunhoff's Babar; Volume 40 has Dorothy and Oz by L. Frank Baum, with illustrations by Richard Scarry; and other volumes throughout the series that include art by Leonard Weisgard, Don Freeman, Paul Galdone, Barbara Cooney, and Peter Spier, to name a few.
Go here for a complete list of the 42 volumes and their author/illustrators.
The 42 volume set, published between 1957 and 1961 by Nelson Doubleday. Each volume highlighted a mix of classics, original new stories, poetry, and non-fiction from many notable authors. They also showcased art from some of the better know illustrators and artists of that time.
Here are a few favorite illustrations from the books I have:
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| Hans Christian Andersen's The Steadfast Tin Soldier illustrated by Idellete Bordigoni (from volume #37) |
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| Margery Williams' The Velveteen Rabbit illustrated by Maruice Sendak (from volume #35) |
Volume #33 (1960) was full of vintage treasures:
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| Favorite Mother Goose Rhymes illustrated by Adrienne Adams |
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| Sophocles the Hyena by Jim Moran illustrated by Andy Warhol (yes, you read that correctly) |
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| A Dime's Worth for Free by Marion Holland illustrated by Richard Scarry |
Volume #31 (1960) is especially poignant, because of some very collectible art by the late Maurice Sendak that I'll show you in my next post; but I'll end today's with these illustrations by the Petershams...
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| The Picnic Basket by Margery Clark illustrated by Maud and Miska Petersham |
Not to be missed: Volumes 1 and 18, with artwork by the D'Aulaires; Volume 20, with Jean de Brunhoff's Babar; Volume 40 has Dorothy and Oz by L. Frank Baum, with illustrations by Richard Scarry; and other volumes throughout the series that include art by Leonard Weisgard, Don Freeman, Paul Galdone, Barbara Cooney, and Peter Spier, to name a few.
Go here for a complete list of the 42 volumes and their author/illustrators.
Monday, January 20, 2014
An Update on Our Bookish Venture - We "Heart" It!
My daughter and I have been working hard on our new business, and after spending a full day on Saturday sprucing up our little "Bookish" space at the Brick Basement Antique Mall, we were tired - but it was a "good tired"!
Anticipating Valentine's Day, my daughter has been crafting away, while I've been searching high and low for good vintage books. Take a little tour...
(Back to front:) To the Heart of a Bear (I found a 1985 first edition); Brother Rabbit Works Magic, a rare find, one of the "Alder Bottom Stories" (pub. in 1929); and The Golden Age by Kenneth Grahame, with illustrations by E.G. Shepard.
I was beyond excited about finding this set of six Louisa May Alcott favorites, reprinted from the years 1911-1925!
A.A. Milne's When We Were Very Young in a red cup atop the classic Hitty, Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field, 1930 edition. And a beautifully illustrated version of Anne of Green Gables...
Two more treasured volumes: Gulliver's Travels and The Good Master.
So many books, so little time! Next post I'll be sharing about a beautiful book for Valentine's Day by Tasha Tudor...for the whole family!
Friday, August 9, 2013
Finding Those Old Childhood Favorites...
Do you love rare vintage and collectible children's books?
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| photo source - OldChildrensBooks.com |
If you're looking for a favorite children's book that is out of print, I've got some great resources for you:
OLD CHILDRENS BOOKS.COM - An online source, they stock more than 10,000 scarce, collectible and out-of-print books, for readers, teachers and collectors.
A second excellent resource is LOGANBERRY BOOKS - you can search for a book from your childhood that you might not even remember the title of! 
You can also do an "Advanced Search" through ABE BOOKS.
Describing a Book:
-Basic Information:
The latest possible year of publication, i. e. before (date).
Your estimate as to the range of possible publication dates.
Picture book or children's novel
Source: Library? School? An older family book?
The latest possible year of publication, i. e. before (date).
Your estimate as to the range of possible publication dates.
Picture book or children's novel
Source: Library? School? An older family book?
- Anything at all you remember about the book:
Title,
Author,
Illustrator,
Binding,
Size,
Phrases or refrains,
Bits of plot.
Title,
Author,
Illustrator,
Binding,
Size,
Phrases or refrains,
Bits of plot.
-Illustrations: the quickest way to ID, the hardest quality to describe.
Color?
Separate plates or in text?
Style?
Other illustrators the pictures call to mind?
Color?
Separate plates or in text?
Style?
Other illustrators the pictures call to mind?
Choose your search words carefully:
Unusual words really help: wallaby works better than bear as a search word.
Names which could be spelled in various ways are hard to search; Peatie Peety Petey Peetie Peaty
Words which could be hyphenated or not also take time, especially with older books which may follow different conventions: dog house, dog-house, doghouse
Avoid abbreviations, they could be spelled out or not: Dr/Doctor. Mr./Mister Co./Company Inc./
Avoid possessives, although sometimes it doesn't matter.
Unusual words really help: wallaby works better than bear as a search word.
Names which could be spelled in various ways are hard to search; Peatie Peety Petey Peetie Peaty
Words which could be hyphenated or not also take time, especially with older books which may follow different conventions: dog house, dog-house, doghouse
Avoid abbreviations, they could be spelled out or not: Dr/Doctor. Mr./Mister Co./Company Inc./
Avoid possessives, although sometimes it doesn't matter.
Friday, August 2, 2013
Vintage Shopping Near the Mission Inn
During our recent stay at the Mission Inn (see yesterday's post), my husband and I had fun exploring downtown Riverside. Come along for a little tour...
After the used bookstore, we headed over to Simple Simon's Bakery for coffee and a croissant.
And then on to Mrs. Tiggy-Winkles, just down the street!
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
A Golden Celebration: Sharing My Birthday with Family...and Books!
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| If a Queen can have a Golden Jubilee, why shouldn't I?? |
All in the Golden Afternoon...
Sunday, my lovely daughter planned an outing after church for our family to the L.A. Arboretum (with our little baby grandson in tow). The meandering pathways and lunch under the flowering trees with the peacocks were unforgettable!
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| "Curiouser and curiouser." |
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| "Ever drifting down the stream- Lingering in the golden gleam - Life, what is it but a dream?" |
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| "Would you tell me, please," said Alice, a little timidly, "why are you painting those roses?" |
Next we made a stop for ice cream at Mother Moo Creamery in the cute town of Sierra Madre, with a Golden Sunset to send us home...
Richard Scarry's Best Word Book Ever
Where the Wild Things Are, Maruice Sendak
Hop on Pop, Dr. Seuss
Swimmy, Leo Lionni
Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree, Robert E. Barry
Amelia Bedelia, Peggy Parish
Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective, Donald J. Sobol
Paddington at Large, Michael Bond
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
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Rascal, Sterling North
Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back, Shel Sliverstein
Stormy, Misty's Foal, Marguerite Henry
Time Cat, Lloyd Alexander
Five are Together Again, Enid Blyton
The Mystery of the Bob-White Cave,
and The Mystery of the Blinking Eye (#11 and 12 of the Trixie Belden Mysteries), Kathryn Kenny
I guess 50 isn't so bad after all, and I think 1963 was a pretty good year for children's books! Which were your favorites?
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Thus grew the tale of Wonderland:
Thus slowly, one by one,
Its quaint events were hammered out -
And now the tale is done,
And home we steer, a merry crew,
Beneath the setting sun.
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"And what is the use of a book," thought Alice, "without pictures or conversation?"
Take a look at these 16 "vintage" children's books that are also turning 50 this year...Help Max and me wish them Happy Birthday!
Richard Scarry's Best Word Book Ever
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