September 2011 | Rebecca Rego Barry

Page Books

Catalogue Review: Page Books, #47

Page Books of Hillsboro, Ohio, specializes in fine children's and illustrated books. So a look through its recent catalogue is a bright, fun, memory-triggering experience. What struck me first about this catalogue is that it isn't full of the same-old favorites -- e.g., there is Clement Hurd (illus.), but it is his woodcut-illustrated Wildfire, not Goodnight Moon ($45); there are lesser-known Steig volumes, such as Yellow & Pink ($60) and Roland the Minstrel Pig ($150).  

Even those of us who know Sendak primarily for Where The Wild Things Are will see a handful of other interesting titles of his. One that caught my eye is A Hole is To Dig, written by Ruth Krauss and illustrated by Sendak in 1952 ($350). In our fall issue of FB&C, which went to the printer today, we have a lengthy profile of author-illustrator Jules Feiffer, who named this particular Sendak title as a turning point in his career.

Another highlight of the side selection here are six volumes in the Doctor Doolittle series by Hugh Lofting, 1920-1928. All in beautiful pictorial cloth with intricate design, they range from $85-$125. Pop-Ups are well represented, some printed in London, even a couple from Moscow. About ten titles illustrated by Tasha Tudor are also here, including the interestingly titled Edgar Allan Crow from 1953 ($350).

And one can't but smile over the Go-To-Sleep Book of 1936 ($45). "Lovely soft pictures of animals yawning or sleeping." Hmm. What does it say about us in 2011 that our "version" of this title includes an expletive? And will it be collectible one day?!

See Page's #47 here: http://cat47.pagebooks.net/page2.html