I've featured one of my all time favourite children's book illustrators Garth William before. If you grew up with Golden Books, I bet you remember and love him too! These black and white ink drawings are from the children's book...
GARTH WILLIAMS (American, 1912-1996) The Cricket in Times Square, In That One Chrip, page 129 illustration, 1960 Ink on paper 13 x 8.75 in. Signed lower left From the Estate of Garth Williams. "Chester ended his song and sat on the shelf, looking at Mario. A 'psst' sound came up from the floor- just as it had on his first night in the newsstand. The cricket looked over. There was Tucker again, gazing up at him. It struck Chester what a funny but likeable expression the mouse's face always wore. 'You better hurry,' whispered Tucker. 'Harry found a timetable and the train leaves in an hour'. 'I'll be over in a minute,' Chester called down to him. Mario's hand was cupped in his lap. The cricket jumped down into the palm of it...The cricket lifted his wings and drew them lightly together. There was all of his love, and goodbye too, in that one chirp. Mario smiled at the familiar sound."
I've featured one of my all time favourite children's book illustrators Garth William before. If you grew up with Golden Books, I bet you remember and love him too! These black and white ink drawings are from the children's book...
GARTH WILLIAMS (American, 1912-1996) The Cricket in Times Square, The Corner of the Times Square Building, page 31 illustration, 1960 Ink on paper 13 x 8.75 in. Not signed From the Estate of Garth Williams. "They were standing at one corner of the Times building, which was at the south end of Times Square. Above the cricket, towers that seemed like mountains of light rose up into the night sky...Reds, blues, greens, and yellows flashed down on him...Chester's heart hurt him and he closed his eyes. The sight was too terrible and beautiful for a cricket who up to now had measured high things by the height of his willow tree and sounds by the burble of a running brook."
GARTH WILLIAMS (American, 1912-1996) The Cricket in Times Square, All Late Papers, page 5 illustration, 1960 Ink on paper 13 x 8.5 in. Signed lower right From the Estate of Garth Williams. "The train screeched to a stop beside the newsstand, blowing a gust of hot air in front of it. Only nine or ten people got out. Tucker waited anxiously to see if any of them stopped to buy a paper. 'All late papers!' shouted Mario as they hurried by. 'Magazines!' No one stopped. Hardly anyone even looked at him."
GARTH WILLIAMS (American, 1912-1996) The Cricket in Times Square, Help! Fire! Murder! Police!, page 56 illustration, 1960 Ink on paper 13 x 8.75 in. Not signed From the Estate of Garth Williams. "He dropped the bill and leaped over to the cricket cage, where Tucker Mouse was sleeping peacefully. Chester shook the silver bell furiously; it rang like a fire alarm. Tucker jumped out from under his blanket of five dollar bills and ran around the cage shouting, 'Help! Fire! Murder! Police!' Then he realized where he was and sat down panting. 'What is the matter with you, Chester?' he said. 'I could have died from fright.'"
GARTH WILLIAMS (American, 1912-1996) The Cricket in Times Square, Playing Games, page 127 illustration, 1960 Ink on paper 13 x 8.75 in. Signed lower right From the Estate of Garth Williams. "After the concert Mama and Papa Bellini had to go off for the evening. They left Mario in charge of the newsstand and told him they would be back later to help him close up. The boy took Chester out of the cricket cage, balancing him on one finger. He was glad that they were going to have some time to themselves for a change....After dinner they began to play games. Leaping-frog was one they enjoyed very much. Mario made a fist and Chester had to jump over it."
GARTH WILLIAMS (American, 1912-1996) The Cricket in Times Square, A Cricket! page 9 illustration, 1960 Ink on paper 12.75 x 8.5 in. Signed lower right From the Estate of Garth Williams. "The next time he heard the sound, he went toward it. It seemed to come from one corner, next to the stairs that led up to Forty-second Street. Softly Mario went toward the spot...Silently Mario waited. Then he heard it again, rising from a pile of waste papers and soot that had blown against the concrete wall. He went down and very gently began to lift off the papers...And wedged in a crack under all the refuse, he found what he'd been looking for....'A cricket!' he exclaimed."
GARTH WILLIAMS (American, 1912-1996) The Cricket in Times Square, Fame, page 111 illustration, 1960 Ink on paper 13 x 8.75 in. Signed lower right From the Estate of Garth Williams. "Everywhere people were talking and arguing and listening to Chester. Mario made a pile of old magazines and put the cricket cage on top of them so everyone could see better and hear more clearly. When Chester finished one number, a shout of 'More! More!' rang through the station. The cricket would catch his breath, have a sip of water, flex his wings, and begin a new selection as fast as he could. And the crowd grew and grew."
Wie die kleine Fern das Schweinchen Wilbur mit der Flasche aufzieht. Das aufregende Leben mit den anderen Tieren und die wunderbare Freundschaft zwischen Wilbur und der klugen Spinne Charlotte, die sogar dafür sorgt, dass Wilbur im ganzen Land berühmt wird.
Bookish Hufflepuffs, rejoice! Here's a Hogwarts House reading list of classic novels, curated just for you!
White, Elwyn Brooks. Charlotte’s Web. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1952. First edition, first printing. Illustrated by Garth Williams. In the publisher's original boards and illustrated dust jacket. Presented is a first edition of the beloved children’s book Charlotte’s Web by Elwyn Brooks White and illustrated by Garth Williams. The book was published in New York by Harper & Brothers in 1952. This is a first edition, first printing with the code “I-B” on the copyright page. The book is presented in the publisher’s original boards and dust jacket. The most celebrated of White’s three children’s books, Charlotte’s Web is rightly regarded as a modern classic" (Connolly, 322-23). The novel tells the story of a livestock pig named Wilbur and his friendship with a barn spider named Charlotte. This is a tender novel of friendship, love, life, and death that continues to be enjoyed by generations. White finished the first draft of Charlotte’s Web in 1951 and then let it sit for a year. He said in a letter to his patient editor: "I've recently finished another children's book, but have put it away to ripen (let the body heat out of it). It doesn't satisfy me the way it is and I think eventually I shall rewrite it pretty much." When Charlotte's Web finally came out in October 1952, the reviews were admiring and laudatory. Since its publication, the book has sales of more than 45 million copies and has been translated into 23 languages. E. B. White (1899-1985) earned his B.A. at Cornell University. He was on staff at the New Yorker, wrote for Harper’s Magazine, and published works of poetry and prose before trying his hand at writing for children. White’s elegance, simplicity, and dry wit balance both his poetry and prose. “His literary style was as pure as any in our language. It was singular, colloquial, clear, unforced, thoroughly American and utterly beautiful” (William Shawn). His poetry includes The Fox of Peapack, and Other Poems(1938), The Second Tree from the Corner (1954), and Poems and Sketches of E.B. White (1981). He penned several books for children, publishing Stuart Little in 1945, Charlotte’s Web in 1952, and The Trumpet of the Swan in 1970. His prose for adult readers includes One Man’s Meat(1944), Here Is New York(1949), Letters of E.B. White(1976), and Essays of E.B. White (1977). White was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1973. His honors include the National Medal for Literature, a special Pulitzer award, and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal. Garth Williams (1912- 1996) was the renowned illustrator of almost one hundred books for children, including the beloved Stuart Little and Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White, Bedtime for Frances by Russell Hoban, and the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. He was born in 1912 in New York City, but raised in England. He founded an art school near London and served with the British Red Cross Civilian Defense during World War II. Williams worked as a portrait sculptor, art director, and magazine artist before working on his first book Stuart Little, thus beginning a long and lustrous career illustrating and developing characters for some of the best known children's books. CONDITION: Very good condition. Octavo. First edition, first printing. In original beige cloth boards, stamped in blue and black on front board and spine. Cloth of front board with some very light spots. In publisher's price-clipped dust jacket. Jacket with some light sunning and foxing. The head and tail of the jacket spine with some minor flaking and some light rubbing to joints. A eighth-inch closed tear to bottom of front panel. In original blue pictorial endpapers. Stated “FIRST EDITION” on the copyright page with the code “I-B.” Inside pages clean and unmarked. Illustrated throughout. Previous owner Thomas Lovejoy's bookplate on half-title. Lovejoy was an American ecologist and former President of the Amazon Biodiversity Center. He was also the director of the conservation program at World Wildlife Fund-U.S. Book Dimensions: 8 1/4" H x 5 3/4" W x 3/4" D. Accompanied by our company's letter of authenticity.
GARTH WILLIAMS (American, 1912-1996) The Cricket in Times Square, A Bed for Tucker, page 53 illustration, 1960 Ink on paper 12.75 x 8.5 in. Signed lower right From the Estate of Garth Williams. "'Do you want to sleep in the cage? asked Chester. 'Oh-could I!' exclaimed the mouse. His idea of luxury was to spend the night in such surroundings. 'There's only one thing,' said Tucker, stamping with his left hind leg. 'This floor. It's a little hard to sleep on.' 'I'll go over and get a bunch of paper from the drain pipe,' volunteered Harry cat. 'No, it'll make a mess,' said Tucker...'I sort of thought that if there were any dollar bills in the cash register-' Harry burst out laughing. 'You might know!' he said. Who but this mouse would want to sleep on dollar bills?'"
The illustrations by Garth Williams for the children's classic, CHARLOTTE'S WEB, were auctioned off by Heritage Auctions. I love these illustrations; which are nostalgic to me. Seeing scans of the original art is inspiring to artists and illustrators, as well as fans of children's book art. I have included the amounts listed as winning bids by Heritage. CHARLOTTE'S WEB art copyright © 2011 by the respective copyright holders. Scans of Garth Williams' original art copyright © 2011 Heritage Auctions $155,350 (Price included dust jacket, two watercolor roughs and web design endpapers) $4,929.38 $19,120 $6,500 $20,315 $5,000 $10,755 $11,950 $13,145 $33,460 $6871.25 $11,352.50 $13,145 $17,327 $33,460 $6,572.50 $3,346 $23,900 $3,883.75 $38,837.50 $10,456.25 $11,500 $95,600 $41,825.00
When I talk about my aunts and uncles on my mother's side it gets confusing in about a second. My grandfather was married four times and had six children.
The Tall Book of Make-Believe Selected by Jane Werner ~ Garth Williams ~ Harper, 1950 I have a special treat for you guys today. Way ba...
Another slight digression from my usual photographic fare, as promised: a brief survey of my favorite children's illustrator, Garth Williams. Most of these are from Golden Books editions I had as a child. In addition to my love of his funky architecture, adorable and expressive animals, and vivid imagination, I am fascinated with the old-world comfortableness and safety communicated in all his works, even when dealing with such traditionally scary subjects as bears, dark woods, and old wrinkly people. Perhaps most of all, the concept of Home permeates Brown's and Wlliams' work, and encompasses and handles reassuringly the pre-reader themes of getting along with others, figuring out what you're good at, and getting free of the apron strings (a little, at least). Williams often worked with Margaret Wise Brown, a writer you typically either love or hate. I fnd her work strangely mesmerizing, if admittedly tending toward the insipid. But I think Williams' sensitive art saves the text from itself. "Mister Dog," Margaret Wise Brown, Simon & Schuster 1952 Not only does The Boy find a friendly, fun-loving, and resourceful companion, but one who lives in a really cool playhouse. "The Friendly Book," Margaret Wise Brown, Western Publishing Co. 1954 This book's poetic vignettes afford Williams a great range of panoramic, detailed fantasies. "The Kitten Who Thought He Was a Mouse," Margaret Wise Brown, Western Publishing Co. 1951 In this moral tale couched in cuteness, a mouse family adopts a lost kitten, until it becomes too big to fit in the mousehole. From the outside, their dwelling looks pretty basic but they've outfitted it with midcentury modernist chairs, which is unusual for Williams, to say nothing of mice. "Animal Friends," Jan Werner, Simon & Schuster 1953 Another subtly pointed story about a disparate collection of critters who somehow all live in a tiny stump until their varying diets demand that they strike out on their own (for example, the turtle to a swamp, the chick to a chicken coop, and the squirrel...well, see below. "Animal Friends," Jan Werner, Simon & Schuster 1953 "Little Fur Family," Margaret Wise Brown, Harper Collins 1946 Another remodeled stump! "Little Fur Family," Margaret Wise Brown, Harper Collins 1946 This decor is a more typical William treatment, sort of pre-industrial, fairytale style. "The Sleepy Book," Margaret Wise Brown, Western Publishing Co. 1948 This collection of hypnotic, simple, rather wistful poems lulls a child along with the homely and softly drawn pictures. "Wait Till the Moon Is Full," Margaret Wise Brown, Harper & Brothers 1948 One of my favorites, done in charcoals, concerns a young raccoon who really wants to join the other forest animals but who must wait...wait... "The Sailor Dog," Margaret Wise Brown, Western Publishing Co. 1953 Before getting shipwrecked, this intrepid and very organized dog lives on a sailboat. Here too Williams' lets loose with wild imaginative scenes of a world populated by exotic dogs. "Home for a Bunny," Marget Wise Brown, Western Publishing Co. 1961 Another parable of a young animal searching for his place in the world. No, it's not in a tree or in a bog, and though the log seems suitable, the resident groundhog begs to differ.
Today is a post in celebration of the art of Garth Williams. Garth Williams illustrated many books that are now some of the classics of ...
Sarah Larson writes about the legacy of Garth Williams, the illustrator of “Stuart Little,” “Charlotte’s Web,” and other classic children’s books.
E.B. White's "Charlotte's Web" turns 60 this October, but it's never too early to celebrate.
The original sketches by Garth Williams for EB White's 'Charlotte's Web' (1952) were sold by his Estate at auction in October. The collect...
William Willis Garth (1826-1912) served in the U.S. House of Representatives for Alabama’s Eighth Congressional District for one term, 1877-79, in the Forty-fifth Congress. Garth came from an affluent and prominent Alabama family with ties to Virginia and elite political and social circles there. Prior to his election, Garth served in the United States Army […]
The original sketches by Garth Williams for EB White's 'Charlotte's Web' (1952) were sold by his Estate at auction in October. The collect...
Charlotte's Web is a book of children's literature by American author E. B. White and illustrated by Garth Williams Illustration was specially designed and licensed to the Kid Stamps Company. These are the original designs and made in the United States. Not a knock off! 100% Heavy Cotton Preshrunk White Fruit of the Loom Shirts Limited Quantities - Once they are gone - THEY ARE GONE! Order soon before they are sold out! Brand New - Never Worn
Today is a post in celebration of the art of Garth Williams. Garth Williams illustrated many books that are now some of the classics of children's literature. So many of his illustrations have become as much a part of the stories as the text is. Bedtime for Frances text by Russell Hoban (I love this picture. It is when Frances comes in to the room and is "the quietest thing in the room"...reminds me of my own son) Little Fur Family text by Margaret Wise Brown (he did many books with her) This book was similar to Pat the Bunny. It had pieces to touch. Wait til the Moon is Full Once upon a time in the dark of the moon there was a little raccoon. He lived down in a big warm chestnut tree with his mother -- who was also a raccoon. This little raccoon wanted to see the night. He had seen the day. So he said to his mother, "I want to go out in the woods and see the night." But his mother said, "Wait. Wait til the moon is full." So he waited, deep in his warm little home under the chestnut tree. The Little House on the Prairie Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder Charlotte's Web by E.B. White The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden Three Bedtime Stories The Giant Golden Book of Elves and Fairies The Rabbit's Wedding Written in 1959 in the midst of the civil rights movement, The Rabbit’s Wedding was banned in Alabama because it featured the marriage of a black rabbit and a white rabbit."I was completely unaware,” he said ironically, “that animals with white fur such as white polar bears and white dogs and white rabbits were considered blood relations of white human beings. I was only aware that a white horse next to a black horse looks very picturesque…” Three Little Animals by Margaret Wise Brown Fox Eyes by Margaret Wise Brown Home for a Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown "Where is your home?" he asked the frog. "Wog, wog, wog," sang the frog. "Wog, wog, wog, Under the water, Down in the bog." Do You Know What I'll Do by Charlotte Zolotow (This is one of the sweetest books. It is for a younger sibling, from an older sibling. Beautiful!) Do you know what I'll do at the seashore? I'll bring you a shell to hold the sound of the sea. Do you know what I'll do at the party? I'll bring you a piece of cake with the candle still in it. Over and Over The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson Stuart Little by E. B. White (the first book that Garth Williams illustrated) The Rescuers by Margery Sharp
