Hi! I’m trying to track down two books I saw as a child around 60 years ago. One was a children’s book about Greek myths, illustrated in a style heavily influenced by Picasso’s neoclassical style (Picasso was not the artist). From the same period, there was a book of folk songs–music and lyrics–also heavily illustrated in a style combining elements of cubism and rural Americana. I really wish I had any more information to go on; these were oversized books, the music one was in color for sure and the Greek myths one might have been as well. These were from the Nashville library in the late 60s and they looked like they might have been about ten years old at the time. This isn’t much to go on, but the Dope has come through with much less!
The folk song book isn’t The Abelard Folk Song Book, although that comes pretty close. Abelard’s illustrations are great, but the one I’m looking for looks a little less TerryToons/Jazz Hipster, a little more Matisse-meets-Grandma Moses.
I realize these descriptions mean nothing to people who never saw these books, but if by chance you have, this should trigger a very vivid recollection.
Was the Greek Mythology book this one?
Published in 1962.
It’s definitely had staying power; kids still love it.
Just a guess here based on my own childhood memories. Could you have been looking at a couple of volumes of the Childcraft series?
Just a guess here based on my own childhood memories. Could you have been looking at a couple of volumes of the Childcraft series?
No, we were a Journeys Through Bookland family. The book I’m looking for was standalone. And the music book was a library book my folksinger sister kept checking out.
There was that non-D’Aulaires book about Greek myths I had that also includes Beowulf and Roland at the end. Which, upon further research, is The Golden Treasury of Myths and Legends. Might that be it?
De_La_Rue
Guest
1hThere was that non-D’Aulaires book about Greek myths I had that also includes Beowulf and Roland at the end. Which, upon further research, is The Golden Treasury of Myths and Legends. Might that be it?
Looking at the preview at openlibrary.org… Holy cow! That’s it!
Is it, perhaps, American Ballads and Folk Songs by John A. Lomax and Alan Lomax or, perhaps, American Folktales and Songs by Richard Chase?
Is it, perhaps, American Ballads and Folk Songs by John A. Lomax and Alan Lomax or, perhaps, American Folktales and Songs by Richard Chase?
No, good try. The one I’m looking for is an oversized book with big, stylized color illustrations. These are kind of scholarly and the Chase one has nice spot illos. I’m more interested in the art than the music, personally, and this has been haunting me for a few years now.
Whack-a-Mole Carpe Diem Tomorrow (He/Him)
Maybe:
It sure seems to fit your criteria.
This isn’t it, but it does look really amazing! This one is slick-looking, heavy on the Americana but light on the cubism. The art in the one I’m looking for looks a lot bluesier rougher, much less cute. It’s an illustration style that was popular in the 50s, like Henry Pitz or Franz Altschuler, but simpler.
That sounds a lot to me like a description of the art of Dahlov Ipcar.
I googled around and couldn’t find either a book of American Folk Songs or of Greek myths illustrated by her, but there is for example her “The Cat Came Back”, which I remember well from childhood - see the link I embedded above.
Well, we found the Greek myths book. The book I’m looking foor looks kind of blues-y and mournful. If you ever saw the animated short Rooty Toot Toot, it looks a little like that.
Like this?
Same book, earlier cover.
A close-up:
No. There’s a scan of the whole book on openlibrary.org and it isn’t it.