A Vintage Christmas: Holly Hobbie's The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore - Illustrated by Holly Hobbie

The ever popular poem, "The Night Before Christmas" by Clement Clarke Moore (1779-1863) has been illustrated by countless artists. Each lending their vision to the surprise and excitement of seeing old St. Nick. In fact the official title of the poem is "A Visit from St. Nicholas". Moore's poem is memorable with its descriptive text and catchy rhyme; a fun read every year. Moore was an American writer and also a Professor at the General Theological Seminary of the Protestant Episcopal Church, in New York City. He taught Oriental and Greek Literature, as well as Divinity and Biblical Learning.

Holly Hobbie is an American children's book writer and artist. Her distinctive little girl with a giant bonnet character was hugely popular on greeting cards in the 1970's. This once nameless character soon took on the name of its creator. Its success grew to include a line of dolls, various merchandise and TV shows. Hobbie brings her rustic charm to Moore's poem and adds another layer of warmth to an already beloved classic. This version is an older edition. Hobbie has illustrated this again much later in 2013 in a very different style.

 

Related post: Hansel & Gretel by Holly Hobbie

 

Amazon

Platt & Munk Publishers 1976

Hardcover 22p

8.5" x 11" 

A Vintage Christmas: My Big Christmas Book by Hayden McAllister - Illustrated by Gisela Gottschlich

It's that time of the year again! The festive season is upon us so let's revisit some holiday classics. The first vintage book featured is My Big Christmas Book. The title is very accurate; it is big but not huge and contains a collection of stories, poems, carols, and craft ideas for the little ones. It is written by Hayden McAllister and illustrated by several uncredited artists. The cover is signed "Gottschlich" (Gisela), whose work covers the majority. Gisela Gottschlich is a German artist and Hayden McAllister is a children's book author. Their works are published with European publishers around the 1970's and 1980's. Little else is known about them. Gottschlich's vibrant illustrations of cute, doe-eyed children are instantly recognizable and have amassed a lot of interest with vintage book and ephemera enthusiasts.

Amazon
Peter Haddock Limited 1980
Hardcover 168p
8" x 10.75"

Notre-Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo - Illustrated by Nicolas Eustache Maurin

Victor Hugo's celebrated gothic novel Notre-Dame de Paris (The Hunchback of Notre-Dame) was first published in Paris, 1831. This initial edition was illustrated with a single frontispiece in black. Three years later in 1834, François Bulla published a new edition with six colour lithographs commissioned to Nicolas Eustache Maurin. Capitalizing on the success and popularity of this novel, Bulla and Maurin collaborated once again in 1841 to produce eight additional lithographs. These striking illustrations set this volume apart from the many editions that soon followed; especially at a time when printing technology was just beginning to flourish. Below are twelve of those lithographs with two very similar ones omitted. Despite being almost two centuries old, these illustrations still hold up very well when compared to modern depictions.

When Cinderella Dined with the Prince - Fairy Tale Table Etiquette

Every boy and girl knows how Cinderella's fairy godmother sent her to the Prince's ball in a golden coach. The Prince liked her instantly, but it was at supper that he really fell in love with her. She was so beautiful and had such perfect table manners. Cinderella's own mother had trained her carefully you see, and so she knew just how to act even with a Prince. You will want to read the story never written before about what happened when Cinderella and the Prince dined together.

  

When the Prince took Cinderella to dinner that first night wasn't she thankful her mother had taught her the right way to eat? She dipped her soup spoon away from her, and she didn't fill it too full. When Cinderella cut her meat, she held her fork in her left hand with the prongs down, and her knife in her right hand. Her fingers and thumb closed round the handles and didn't go near the blade or prongs.

  

Cinderella felt quite at home when she saw that the Prince ate with his fork exactly as she did. He held it in his right hand with the prongs up when he was eating vegetables, lifting it like a spoon to his mouth. A footman passed the bread to the Prince. He took a slice and laid it on his bread-and-butter plate. Then he broke off a little piece just big enough to go into his mouth and buttered it with his butter spreader.

Child Characters from Dickens Retold by Lucy L. Weedon - Illustrated by Arthur A. Dixon

This Christmas gift book published by Ernest Nister in 1905 collects Charles Dickens' best stories adapted by Lucy L. Weedon for the young reader. It's a small but thick book with 320 pages with all gilt edges. The cloth bound cover came in several colours including blue, green, brown and grey. There are six colour and seventy half-tone illustrations by Arthur A. Dixon beautifully printed on heavy weight stock. The coloured plates are vibrant and detailed with little signs of fading. A very attractive book for the collector.

The Adventures of Red Riding Hood Exhibit

Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf are on display at a new exhibit from the Osborne Collection of Early Children’s Books. There are many vintage books and ephemera available for viewing as well as modern retellings of the famous fairy tale.  Below is a glimpse of what you can expect to see at this exhibit.

Located at the Toronto Public Library Lillian H. Smith branch.
Admission is free and runs until June 2, 2018.