This video is a sequel to my previous one about what makes a book a "classic," found here at ua-cam.com/video/yqEvYK7-THw/v-deo.html. Thanks for watching!
@@garymoraco3184 I do try to read all of the comments I receive, but I don't monitor them continuously. Also, YT's channel management system on my computer notifies me of initial comments, but not replies posted to earlier comments (such as yours here). The YT app on my phone notifies me of replies to comments, but it simply merges them all into a single scroll list, which can get pretty long and I sometimes miss a reply. (I typically check my phone only a few times a day and not continuously). Thanks for understanding. :)
Wait for it. This channel has the potential to slake the thirst of many a reader looking for validation first, with guidance and recommendation a close second.. Subs here will grow dramatically over the next few years, is my prediction.
These illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. I never knew the modern depictions of pirates came from an illustrated book and at the beginning of twentieth century holding one of these books must have been such a treat.
That's exactly how I feel about those books today! But back then, when photographic-quality printing in color was brand new, and most people had never stepped foot inside an art gallery or museum, I imagine the illustrations must have seemed incredible.
Thanks, Dan! It's joy to make these videos and to share these books with everyone. (I expect to see a review of one of these classic titles sometime soon on your channel.) :D
A fantastic video. I started watching, then went back and played at a slower speed so I could watch all the book covers and illustrations nicely. 🙂 Many memories of great books (e.g. I remember borrowing The Last Of The Mohicans from my junior school library by default because all the Goosebumps by RL Stine were already taken by everyone else 😄 and then ending up enjoying it). But also so many I haven't read or even heard of. I got introduced to a lot of my favourite classics like The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Ben-Hur, Ivanhoe, The Count of Monte Cristo, most Dickens and SFF titles like Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, The Time Machine through abridged illustrated versions. And then I read the unabridged versions for the ones where the stories really resonated with me. The care with which you have preserved these books is so important.
Thanks! I had a real dilemma making this video, because I cover around 60 books in it, which made it difficult to spend time savoring the artwork while also keeping the video a reasonable length (I was targeting a 20-minute run time, which I overshot by about five minutes). It could easily have turned into an hour-long video, if I had given the artwork more time and space (and included more of the illustrations from each book). An unfortunate trade-off.
What a wonderful video. I have always maintained that the Scribners & Sons were Americas answer to the golden age illustrators of England, namely Rackham, Dulac and Nielsen. They started a decade earlier and in more of an art book format with tipped in plates. But as you demonstrated, the style and substance of the Illustrated Classics was second to none. Thanks so much. PS- I borrowed some of the PD artwork shown from the Arthurian works for a small volume of "Seven Tales from King Arthurs Court" with Edmund Dulac artwork that will be published this fall by Markosia.
I think that's a reasonable theory. British publishers (and illustrators) certainly took a leading role in creating memorable illustrated editions in the late 1800s and early 1900s, which left US publishers hurrying to play catch-up. Rackham, Dulac and Nielsen are three of my all-time favorite illustrators, but (if you couldn't guess from this video) N.C. Wyeth takes my top spot. Thanks for the heads-up about the forthcoming King Arthur book!
I’m so glad I found your channel. I love the in-depth look into books, but also about publishers, art work and their stories. Please keep doing this, learning so much! Finding new authors! I’m reading my first Perry Mason book! I’m enjoying it throughly. Thank y ou ,
I'm so glad I found your channel because it is difficult to find discussions of classic children's literature; they get overwhelmed by all the ones for books published in the last few years.
I took a children's literature course while in college and it was one of the most enjoyable experiences. Everyone comparing their various editions and artwork was a bonus!
That course sounds like it was a lot of fun! For the past several years, I've helped lead a book club for middle grade students at my kids' school. I grew a little frustrated, though, at the lack of awareness of and interest in children books B.H.P. (before Harry Potter). That actually became the impetus for my starting this channel. I decided last year to shine a spotlight on older or overlooked authors and books, rather than the latest, greatest ones that already get plenty of attention here on BookTube.
@@thelibraryladder Ha, B.H.P. This course focused mainly on things you'd probably label as classics and worked up to some modern stuff before we ran out of time. I did my final essay exploring the stories laid out in the Choose Your Own Adventure tales. Which is a genre I wish still existed, but I believe has gone the way of the dodo in light of video games
Just discovered your channel and have bingewatched all your videos. Picked up The Story of Roland and The Scottish Chiefs because of this video, those Scribner Illustrated Classics are amazing and I can't wait to pick up and read more of them. Thank you so much, I hope you keep making quality videos like this!
Thank you! I can't sing the praises of the Scribner's Classics enough. Stay tuned, because I have many more videos planned. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Thank you for absolute premium content - and an extra thank you for venturing outside only literature and letting me dip my toe in illustration as well. A new area which I really enjoyed.
You're very welcome! I plan to continue making videos about a variety of book genres and their historical context, with an emphasis on older or overlooked authors and books. That was my primary reason for starting this channel. Thanks for watching and commenting!
My children loved Children of New Forest and Vernian books, and A child's Garden of Verses is one of our all time favorites. My oldest was just recounting the Pyle version of Robin Hood and its notable or anti climatic ending. Many of theses are beautiful books, and who doesn't love Dalgliesh?! Great list of titles! Thank you for sharing.
Thanks! I'm glad you introduced your kids to those classics. There's a realism in many older books that seems to be missing in a lot of recent children books that have their character traits, plot elements and conflicts amplified and stripped of nuance in order to keep kids' attention in this era of video entertainment. A common complaint from the middle grade book club I led at my kids' school was that the older books they read were "boring" (and an older work was defined by the club as having been published before 2000!). The few kids who didn't complain tended to be ones who'd been reading older classics all along at the encouragement of their parents and could appreciate that style of storytelling.
@@thelibraryladder I actually just spoke with the children's librarian about this. She said between children's publishers pushing their agendas, public opinion, and tv/movies it was near impossible to argue to keep many classics on the shelf because children weren't checking them out.
I meant to comment the other day, when this came out; but this was one of the most charming videos I've seen (and I don't usually use the word 'charming' much 😄)
Thank you for the very kind comment! I hope that by drawing attention to these beautiful editions, more people will read and enjoy them, and Scribner's and other publishers will keep them in print.
I read many of those stories as a child, because my father had copies of them in his library at home. I think Treasure Island was one of the first "classics" I read, because Dad told me it was his favorite as a child. Many others followed. 😁
I know what you mean. Some of my early encounters were old copies of my dad's that I found while exploring my grandparents' house as a kid looking for something to read. Twain's The Prince and the Pauper was one such discovery. :)
What a freaking great UA-cam channel!! 😀👍 I'm so glad that your channel was suggested to me! Thank you so much for this wonderful content. You are awesome!
A lovely job on the video! I love the illustrations that they had back then, and how they do make the story come alive now matter old they are. I’ve never know so much about illustrated books,publishers, and artists and I’m glad I know now and can appreciate them. The Illustrated Junior Library seems to have taken many of the art&books from this publisher and republished them. (Or is it the same company?) I like collecting these and they were available widely through Barnes and Noble. Thank you for all the hard work you do on these videos 🙌🏼😃📚
Thank you for your comment! I remember reading some of the books in the Illustrated Junior Library series when I was young. They had lovely artwork. That series was launched by publisher Grosset & Dunlap around the 1940s and used different artists and illustrations than those in the earlier Scribner's series. They were reprinted for decades, and were among the most common editions of classic titles found in school libraries for many years (including my kids' school, which still has some on its shelves). The Barnes & Noble reprints are a little different (assuming you're referring to the leather-bound 'rainbow edition' volumes it published about ten years ago). Those editions contain reproductions of some of the original first or early edition artwork. Most of the illustrations are pen and ink drawings, but a few titles have the color paintings found in the Scribner and Rand McNally Windermere editions. I love that B&N has made these reprint editions available.
I definitely am more of a person who would love to read a book more if it had illustrations and these books may just be the perfect example of what I would have loved to both own and read as a child. Especially since they are almost a true extension of the authors imagination of the worlds and adventure on paper, from a time before it became mainstream to do all this. Alot of thought and concentration have gone into it all. I really wish they would reprint every single one of these from all the artists work one day :) Robert Ingpen I feel has certanly been very inspired by this era massively. I want all his illustrated books too :)
Great comment! I wish they'd reprint all of these books with their illustrations as well. Some artists simply used their imaginations, while others (such as N.C. Wyeth) often would travel to see examples of the real thing before accepting a commission (which is one reason he declined to illustrate 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea -- he didn't have a frame of reference for submarines and underwater exploration). I don't remember if I mentioned it in the video, but Wyeth also used his family members as models. He had a large collection of theatrical costumes, and he would dress up his kids and their spouses, among others, and pose them for many of his illustrations (which is why many of the characters across his works tend to look a lot alike). Ingpen is a great illustrator. His works remind me of a cross between Maria Kirk and Arthur Rackham.
Just now catching up on some of your videos after watching the Chatting with Nutts with you and Jimmy. You've gained another fan! This was incredibly entertaining and informative, and I have a 7 year old daughter that we read to every night. I was taking notes on a lot of these, especially the children's books! I have been neglecting classics for quite some time because finding a place to start can be very daunting. Thank you so much for such a wonderful video!
Thank you! For many years starting at an early age, my kids and I would listen to many of the older classics as audiobooks in the car to and from school every day. They loved it, their vocabularies expanded rapidly, and it sparked their interest in reading. I'm going to keep making content about great children's books, even though they're my worst-performing videos, because I know there are viewers like you who have kids and might appreciate book suggestions for them.
@@thelibraryladder that’s an awesome idea to do in the car! And I’d much rather listen to an audiobook than KidzBop haha. It’s a shame children’s book videos don’t perform well but I’m sure those who watch them, like me, get great value from them.
I haven't read any adventure books since the famous five when I was a child but this is tempting me to try reading some more adventure stories. I've always loved adventure movies so I'll definitely check some of these out. Thanks for the great video
Thank you! You've made my day. That's exactly the reaction I was hoping to generate in viewers when I decided to make this video. I love the old adventure stories, and I lament that they're rarely read today.
I've been a recent collector of books from the Golden Age Of Children's Illustrated Books. The majority of my books are focused on the third phase of the Golden Age revolving around Howard Pyle's American Brandywine School which includes American illustrators such as Pyle, Willcox, Wyeth, Kirk, Parrish, Schaeffer, Schoonover, etc. One thing to note when collecting Scribner's Illustrated Classics is that some of the first editions had 14 color plates (e.g., Kidnapped, Drums, Boy's King Arthur, Arabian nights, A Child's Garden of Verses, etc.). In contrast, later versions had only 8 color plates.
Thanks for sharing! The Brandywine School illustrators are among my very favorites. The first time I visited the Brandywine Museum (located at N.C. Wyeth's homestead studio in Chadds Ford, PA) more than 30 years ago, was a revelation to me, and it led me to start collecting those artists.
Rudyard Kipling’s Kim is one of my favorites. Although after he becomes westernized and a spy my interest waned somewhat. You could tell that Kipling was a student and thoroughly acquainted with Indian culture. And the telling of the adventures on his odyssey with the holy man are captivating and captures that era of India marvelously.
This was a great video Bridger! I loved traveling down the rabbit hole with you into the history of these classics. I have a lot of catch up to do in this area.
Thanks, Chas! If you haven't already read them, I suspect you might enjoy The Wind in the Willows, The Black Arrow, The Boy's King Arthur, and The Scottish Chiefs, among others. The Scottish Chiefs is surprisingly readable, despite being written more than 200 years ago.
@@thelibraryladder oh that’s great to know, because from the title it sounds like it could be much drier haha. I’ll look into those. The Wind in the Willows definitely interests me.
The art is realistic, but it’s also very dynamic and alive, there’s a sense of movement, and things being lived in. It’s hard to get that balance right.
Great observation! That's one of the things N.C. Wyeth was best known for. He once explained that he tried to use his illustrations to anticipate the action described in a book's scene. Where most illustrators would capture the climax or aftermath of a scene, Wyeth often tried to catch it just before or at the start of an act. It's one of the reason he's my all-time favorite illustrator.
Thank you sir! Honestly. He reminds me of Frank Frazetta. Frazetta had a sense of energy and motion. I especially love the Mohican ones. Like where the Mohican wrestles the red coat. I don’t know the names, I haven’t read the story itself. I like that art tip, illustrate just the moment before the big action. When I learn to draw I’m gonna implement that. Because, at the climax, things are done, that’s why it’s the climax. But just before the beginning? That is the action itself, you see it, you feel it.
You're in luck! I have a substantial collection of early editions of Verne's novels, and I plan to do a video overview of his works sometime next year (as I work my way through my long list of video topics). In the meantime, you might find this short video of mine interesting: ua-cam.com/users/shortsRG_ZLcHgVbE?feature=share.
They probably are. There were a few in my school library in the 1970s, which is when I first encountered them. Scribner's kept most of them in print in this format through at least the 1950s. They reintroduced the series in the 1980s/90s with different bindings, but kept most of the artwork. The bindings and covers changed again for the latest editions.
Added 'The Black Arrow' to my current reading rotation, had an old Scholastic pocket sized version with illustrations (by Cheslie D'Andrea) at the beginning of each chapter.
Given Russia's strong literary tradition, I didn't realize those authors were so widely read there. I also thought the Soviet government would have discouraged reading Western authors. Thanks for sharing that insight!
@@thelibraryladder It was not as straightforward as that. Classes were more important than countries. In some cases, foreign books famous in the USSR were almost unknown in their home countries. For example, a wonderful revolutionary fairy tale Cipollino by Gianni Rodari :) Here's a list of titles included in one of the most iconic book series of those times: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Adventures Books of many of these authors were published in large complete (well, almost complete) editions, like Mark Twain, Walter Scott, Mayne Reid, Cooper, Stevenson, Verne, Dumas... Some years ago I tried to compile a small set of authors who defined my childhood. The top three lines were Jack London, Jules Verne and Ernest Thompson Seton.
Thanks for adding more context. I've never heard of Cipollino. I'll have to look for that one. The list of titles in the Library of Adventure series is great, but a little odd, particularly with respect to omitted titles by authors on the list. Your class-based explanation of that makes sense. Your top three authors from childhood have featured spots in my own collection. It's unfortunate, though, that Seton and his classic novel Two Little Savages are practically unknown in the US today.
The traditional children's' stories that taught life lessons are long gone. Despite Rowling being a well centered person, she has usurped much of the literary children's world where "trending now" rules the day. This is an excellent episode, TLL, insofar as (to my reckoning) it exposes the nefarious plot by the publishers to flood the shelves with tripe, subpar schlock and indoctrinational subject matter. Thanks for this post, I have been steered toward better choices for my three grandsons of tender age but formidible intellect as a result. Cheers.
Thanks! The Scribner Classics series really lives up to its name. I hope your grandsons enjoy the books as much as I did when I was young (and still do).
I _think_ I have a copy of Swiss Family Robinson that was published under that imprint. With illustrations by Lynd Ward. Very charming story (if dated in spots) that's a very peaceful read with fantastic woodcut illustrations, although my copy seems to have been rebinded somehow, because the story kind of abruptly cuts to a different chapter in the middle of another one, then resumes the original chapter some many after that! (Bit hard to describe, I hope that made sense...). Just a unique quirk, I suppose! The sequel by TJ Hoisington does a phenomenal job recapturing the "peaceful but interesting scientific adventure" vibes of the first story, less charming prose and mildly strange differences aside (renaming New Switzerland to "Robinson Island", for instance). The illustrations, while also in black and white for the most part, attempt a nostalgic feel that, from what I remember, does pull off decently.
Thanks for sharing! The edition of Swiss Family Robinson you're describing is part of the Illustrated Junior Library published by Grosset & Dunlap, which was a long-running series similar to the Scribner one that published illustrated editions of classic children's books. The Grosset & Dunlap series was marketed as a less-expensive alternative to the Scribner series, which made it a fixture in cost-conscious schools and public libraries for decades. Grosset & Dunlap kept its costs lower by using lower quality paper and bindings and employing less famous illustrators. Nevertheless, they're quite nice and are some of the highest quality editions G&D ever published. (G&D's market niche was as a lower-cost publisher, and these illustrated editions are of substantially higher production quality than their typical output.)
This was really cool! For how much I love book illustration I don't really know much about it haha. It was nice to see this piece of history, and now I'm side-eyeing some. On that note, are you planning any more videos on illustrated books?
I think the John R. McNeil illustrations for the Oz books by L. Frank Baum are among the best illustrations matched to the written works. My favorite of all the books in the series isn't the most popular of the bunch, Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, but the gorgeously illustrated Ozma of OZ.
I agree with you (I have the McNeil-illustrated set published by Reilly & Lee). I'm partial to the artwork in Ozma of Oz, Tik Tok of Oz, and The Emerald City of Oz.
Some of the books you mentioned can be found, and downloaded, on the site of the Gutenberg project. (Gutenberg org) With the mentioned illustrations. And now I’m off, reading the black arrow. I’m Dutch, so a lot of these books are new to me.
Thanks! That's awesome that the Gutenberg Project has the classic artwork now! I remember when they just had plain text versions of books. I hope you enjoy reading them!
Good Morning, I'm new to your channel so forgive me if it already exists, but could you make a video about books that have libraries and/or librarians as common setting of the story or as a destination like a lost/ hidden/ forgotten library. You could name it "Libraries/Vaults of Treasure in books" I'm working on a fantasy story and would love to see examples of how this setting has been written in past books. Also books with wizard's libraries, observatories, homes, towers etc. In a video named "Where Wizards used to live/studied/worked" would be amazing.
My reading backlog gets some new memebers it seems. Might pick up King Arthur orRobin Hood after I am done with Asimov's Foundation series. Guy Gavriel Kay's books are also in my list. Probably I will start with The Fionavar Tapestry then The Lions of Al Rassan.
Wonderful! There are many different retellings of the Arthurian and Robin Hood legends, due to their origins as oral folktales. Howard Pyle's versions are fun to read, in part because they deviate significantly from later versions popularized by film adaptations (or by T.H. White's 'The Once and Future King'). I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
I always wondered how Hollywood would handle the end of C. S. Lewis' Narnia series and its ending - it was always like a hospital pass for the last director - and it was because no one appears to have read the series all the way to the end
That’s a good question. It’s my understanding that the film producers never intended to adapt all seven books in the Narnia series. Instead, they initially had hoped to make four films, but the second and third films weren’t successful enough to attract the funding needed for the fourth (The Silver Chair). The BBC took a similar approach in the late 1980s when it adapted only those four books for a series of TV productions. It would be interesting to see a production of all seven books sequenced in chronological order (not publication order) as one giant story. Perhaps HBO, Netflix or Disney will one day make the attempt.
The art and books are all cultural treasures. Unfortunately, we live in a woke culture that finds these stories "problematic" and therefore must be cancelled ( Yes, I'm being hyperbolic...I think most folks have common sense and an appreciation for the past and all its complications ) at all costs! Hopefully we can come out of this strange time and simply enjoy Ivanhoe or Harry Potter without the woke stigma agenda. Thanks for showing the beautiful art that accompanied these older classics. I grew up in the 1970s and early 80s and loved the many reprints, amongst them the Howard Pyle Adventures of Robin Hood etc I think I came out of that era with a love and appreciation of both the old and the new. Glad you shone a light on these classics and their art.. I'd also add The Gormenghast Trilogy and art of Mervyn Peake....not for all kids, but older ones who have a dark sense of humour....Ok.....Cheers!
Thanks for sharing. I'm a firm believer in the idea that context matters. Many books (old and new) have problematic elements, but if they're read with an awareness of the time and place they were written or set, it should be possible to enjoy them and gain an understanding of how they helped shape future authors.
Ooooh, that's one I haven't run across before. Based on the glowing reviews it has on Goodreads and Amazon, it certainly seems like it should be considered a classic. I'm going to track down a copy. Thanks for the recommendation!
@@thelibraryladder It's a pleasure, sir. AND about 'Artie...', it's plotline remembered me somehow 'The Reluctant Dragon' by #KennethGrahame. This Is a story that i want to read too.
Hello, I have been recently watching your videos and I don't leave messages on these because most of them never get read. And so I'm attempting this,.hopfully not in vain, so as to let you know I'm interested in your opinions just based on videos of course. I'll get right to it and say that I have and continue to watch other book reviews but you seem to have a, for lack of that special word , passionate about good literature so I'm going to throw you a fastball because using sports metaphors is lame and I'm all about exposing lameness as you seem to be.Getting really brutish out there isn't it? Let's see a video about obscure science fiction. Not the usual stuff or more recent but the overlooked or forgotten and you might include if you choose any historical facts regarding these choices. Is this something others would enjoy? I'll stick around and wait for any responses tonight from others here.
Hi! Thanks for commenting. Science fiction is one of my favorite genres, and I have a lot of the overlooked and forgotten kind in my collection. (It's the second largest component of my collection, behind classic children's books.) In fact, I'm working now on a video about SF great Vernor Vinge, who hit his peak in the 1980s and 90s. It'll be a career retrospective covering his nearly 50-year writing career starting in the mid-1960s. You might also find interesting the video I made a couple of months ago about the pioneering 1950s SF publisher Gnome Press. (ua-cam.com/video/_HlKhLG3ZxE/v-deo.html) After focusing mainly on fantasy in my early videos, I'm slowly diversifying to include videos on a wider range of genres, including science fiction. Stay tuned!
Several of the Scribner Illustrated Classics are still in print and can be purchased new on Amazon. Here are links to a few of them: www.amazon.com/Arabian-Nights-Best-Known-Scribner-Classics/dp/1534430180/ www.amazon.com/Robin-Hood-Paul-Creswick/dp/0684181622/ www.amazon.com/King-Arthur-Malorys-Scribner-Classics/dp/1534428410/ www.amazon.com/David-Balfour-Adventures-Scribners-Illustrated/dp/0684197367/ www.amazon.com/Black-Arrow-Illustrated-Classic-Wyeth/dp/1950435075/ www.amazon.com/Treasure-Island-Robert-Louis-Stevenson/dp/0689854684/ Most of the rest are relatively easy to find on eBay because they remained in print for decades. A few, though, are quite scarce.
This video is a sequel to my previous one about what makes a book a "classic," found here at ua-cam.com/video/yqEvYK7-THw/v-deo.html. Thanks for watching!
Do you try to read all the responses?
@@garymoraco3184 I do try to read all of the comments I receive, but I don't monitor them continuously. Also, YT's channel management system on my computer notifies me of initial comments, but not replies posted to earlier comments (such as yours here). The YT app on my phone notifies me of replies to comments, but it simply merges them all into a single scroll list, which can get pretty long and I sometimes miss a reply. (I typically check my phone only a few times a day and not continuously). Thanks for understanding. :)
Your channel deserves more recognition.
Thank you!
I agree
Wait for it. This channel has the potential to slake the thirst of many a reader looking for validation first, with guidance and recommendation a close second.. Subs here will grow dramatically over the next few years, is my prediction.
These illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. I never knew the modern depictions of pirates came from an illustrated book and at the beginning of twentieth century holding one of these books must have been such a treat.
That's exactly how I feel about those books today! But back then, when photographic-quality printing in color was brand new, and most people had never stepped foot inside an art gallery or museum, I imagine the illustrations must have seemed incredible.
This was a wonderful video Bridger. I really enjoyed the history lesson. Such a joy to watch your channel.
Thanks, Dan! It's joy to make these videos and to share these books with everyone.
(I expect to see a review of one of these classic titles sometime soon on your channel.) :D
A fantastic video.
I started watching, then went back and played at a slower speed so I could watch all the book covers and illustrations nicely. 🙂
Many memories of great books (e.g. I remember borrowing The Last Of The Mohicans from my junior school library by default because all the Goosebumps by RL Stine were already taken by everyone else 😄 and then ending up enjoying it). But also so many I haven't read or even heard of.
I got introduced to a lot of my favourite classics like The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Ben-Hur, Ivanhoe, The Count of Monte Cristo, most Dickens and SFF titles like Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, The Time Machine through abridged illustrated versions. And then I read the unabridged versions for the ones where the stories really resonated with me.
The care with which you have preserved these books is so important.
Thanks! I had a real dilemma making this video, because I cover around 60 books in it, which made it difficult to spend time savoring the artwork while also keeping the video a reasonable length (I was targeting a 20-minute run time, which I overshot by about five minutes). It could easily have turned into an hour-long video, if I had given the artwork more time and space (and included more of the illustrations from each book). An unfortunate trade-off.
What a wonderful video. I have always maintained that the Scribners & Sons were Americas answer to the golden age illustrators of England, namely Rackham, Dulac and Nielsen. They started a decade earlier and in more of an art book format with tipped in plates. But as you demonstrated, the style and substance of the Illustrated Classics was second to none. Thanks so much. PS- I borrowed some of the PD artwork shown from the Arthurian works for a small volume of "Seven Tales from King Arthurs Court" with Edmund Dulac artwork that will be published this fall by Markosia.
I think that's a reasonable theory. British publishers (and illustrators) certainly took a leading role in creating memorable illustrated editions in the late 1800s and early 1900s, which left US publishers hurrying to play catch-up. Rackham, Dulac and Nielsen are three of my all-time favorite illustrators, but (if you couldn't guess from this video) N.C. Wyeth takes my top spot. Thanks for the heads-up about the forthcoming King Arthur book!
I’m so glad I found your channel. I love the in-depth look into books, but also about publishers, art work and their stories. Please keep doing this, learning so much! Finding new authors! I’m reading my first Perry Mason book! I’m enjoying it throughly. Thank y ou ,
Thank you! I'm so happy you found it! And I'm glad you're enjoying my book recommendations. There's plenty more to come.
I'm so glad I found your channel because it is difficult to find discussions of classic children's literature; they get overwhelmed by all the ones for books published in the last few years.
Thanks and welcome aboard! I plan to make more videos about classic children's books. It was what motivated me to start my channel.
I took a children's literature course while in college and it was one of the most enjoyable experiences. Everyone comparing their various editions and artwork was a bonus!
That course sounds like it was a lot of fun!
For the past several years, I've helped lead a book club for middle grade students at my kids' school. I grew a little frustrated, though, at the lack of awareness of and interest in children books B.H.P. (before Harry Potter). That actually became the impetus for my starting this channel. I decided last year to shine a spotlight on older or overlooked authors and books, rather than the latest, greatest ones that already get plenty of attention here on BookTube.
@@thelibraryladder Ha, B.H.P. This course focused mainly on things you'd probably label as classics and worked up to some modern stuff before we ran out of time. I did my final essay exploring the stories laid out in the Choose Your Own Adventure tales. Which is a genre I wish still existed, but I believe has gone the way of the dodo in light of video games
@@AnotherBrownAjah I will say Jim Kays work on HP is very visually appealing. But thats all ill say ha :)
The channel is gold
Looking forward to the upcoming videos man.
Thank you! I have many more videos planned.
Just discovered your channel and have bingewatched all your videos. Picked up The Story of Roland and The Scottish Chiefs because of this video, those Scribner Illustrated Classics are amazing and I can't wait to pick up and read more of them. Thank you so much, I hope you keep making quality videos like this!
Thank you! I can't sing the praises of the Scribner's Classics enough.
Stay tuned, because I have many more videos planned. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Thank you for absolute premium content - and an extra thank you for venturing outside only literature and letting me dip my toe in illustration as well. A new area which I really enjoyed.
You're very welcome! I plan to continue making videos about a variety of book genres and their historical context, with an emphasis on older or overlooked authors and books. That was my primary reason for starting this channel. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Wonderful and thorough and thoughtful presentation. I’m old enough to have read some if not most of those books. Beautiful illustrationsThank You!
Thank you! I'm very glad you enjoyed it!
My children loved Children of New Forest and Vernian books, and A child's Garden of Verses is one of our all time favorites. My oldest was just recounting the Pyle version of Robin Hood and its notable or anti climatic ending. Many of theses are beautiful books, and who doesn't love Dalgliesh?! Great list of titles! Thank you for sharing.
Thanks! I'm glad you introduced your kids to those classics. There's a realism in many older books that seems to be missing in a lot of recent children books that have their character traits, plot elements and conflicts amplified and stripped of nuance in order to keep kids' attention in this era of video entertainment. A common complaint from the middle grade book club I led at my kids' school was that the older books they read were "boring" (and an older work was defined by the club as having been published before 2000!). The few kids who didn't complain tended to be ones who'd been reading older classics all along at the encouragement of their parents and could appreciate that style of storytelling.
@@thelibraryladder I actually just spoke with the children's librarian about this. She said between children's publishers pushing their agendas, public opinion, and tv/movies it was near impossible to argue to keep many classics on the shelf because children weren't checking them out.
This channel reminds me of the History Channel. Well, when the History Channel was good. I mean it in the best way possible.
Thanks! I'm trying to make my videos both entertaining and informative, and I enjoy learning about and sharing the historical roots of modern fiction.
This channel is gonna blow up, watch out.
I meant to comment the other day, when this came out; but this was one of the most charming videos I've seen (and I don't usually use the word 'charming' much 😄)
Thank you for the very kind comment! I hope that by drawing attention to these beautiful editions, more people will read and enjoy them, and Scribner's and other publishers will keep them in print.
What a great set of posts. Thank you for taking the time.
Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed them.
I read many of those stories as a child, because my father had copies of them in his library at home. I think Treasure Island was one of the first "classics" I read, because Dad told me it was his favorite as a child. Many others followed. 😁
I know what you mean. Some of my early encounters were old copies of my dad's that I found while exploring my grandparents' house as a kid looking for something to read. Twain's The Prince and the Pauper was one such discovery. :)
An excellent video. So much beautiful work covered. You do incredible work. Thank you. I loved learning about these books.
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I have many more videos to come covering a variety of genres and their historical context.
What a freaking great UA-cam channel!! 😀👍
I'm so glad that your channel was suggested to me!
Thank you so much for this wonderful content. You are awesome!
Thanks and welcome aboard!
Really loving the content on this channel, super interesting and you're a great narrator!
Thank you! 🙂
A lovely job on the video! I love the illustrations that they had back then, and how they do make the story come alive now matter old they are. I’ve never know so much about illustrated books,publishers, and artists and I’m glad I know now and can appreciate them. The Illustrated Junior Library seems to have taken many of the art&books from this publisher and republished them. (Or is it the same company?) I like collecting these and they were available widely through Barnes and Noble. Thank you for all the hard work you do on these videos 🙌🏼😃📚
Thank you for your comment! I remember reading some of the books in the Illustrated Junior Library series when I was young. They had lovely artwork. That series was launched by publisher Grosset & Dunlap around the 1940s and used different artists and illustrations than those in the earlier Scribner's series. They were reprinted for decades, and were among the most common editions of classic titles found in school libraries for many years (including my kids' school, which still has some on its shelves).
The Barnes & Noble reprints are a little different (assuming you're referring to the leather-bound 'rainbow edition' volumes it published about ten years ago). Those editions contain reproductions of some of the original first or early edition artwork. Most of the illustrations are pen and ink drawings, but a few titles have the color paintings found in the Scribner and Rand McNally Windermere editions. I love that B&N has made these reprint editions available.
First! I love this channel!
You rock!
I’ll definitely get some of these for my nieces and nephews. Thanks for this,
You're very welcome. I hope they enjoy the books as much as I did when I was young!
I’m sure they will thank you! If they have the patience.
I definitely am more of a person who would love to read a book more if it had illustrations and these books may just be the perfect example of what I would have loved to both own and read as a child.
Especially since they are almost a true extension of the authors imagination of the worlds and adventure on paper, from a time before it became mainstream to do all this. Alot of thought and concentration have gone into it all.
I really wish they would reprint every single one of these from all the artists work one day :)
Robert Ingpen I feel has certanly been very inspired by this era massively. I want all his illustrated books too :)
Great comment! I wish they'd reprint all of these books with their illustrations as well.
Some artists simply used their imaginations, while others (such as N.C. Wyeth) often would travel to see examples of the real thing before accepting a commission (which is one reason he declined to illustrate 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea -- he didn't have a frame of reference for submarines and underwater exploration). I don't remember if I mentioned it in the video, but Wyeth also used his family members as models. He had a large collection of theatrical costumes, and he would dress up his kids and their spouses, among others, and pose them for many of his illustrations (which is why many of the characters across his works tend to look a lot alike).
Ingpen is a great illustrator. His works remind me of a cross between Maria Kirk and Arthur Rackham.
Just now catching up on some of your videos after watching the Chatting with Nutts with you and Jimmy. You've gained another fan! This was incredibly entertaining and informative, and I have a 7 year old daughter that we read to every night. I was taking notes on a lot of these, especially the children's books! I have been neglecting classics for quite some time because finding a place to start can be very daunting. Thank you so much for such a wonderful video!
Thank you! For many years starting at an early age, my kids and I would listen to many of the older classics as audiobooks in the car to and from school every day. They loved it, their vocabularies expanded rapidly, and it sparked their interest in reading.
I'm going to keep making content about great children's books, even though they're my worst-performing videos, because I know there are viewers like you who have kids and might appreciate book suggestions for them.
@@thelibraryladder that’s an awesome idea to do in the car! And I’d much rather listen to an audiobook than KidzBop haha. It’s a shame children’s book videos don’t perform well but I’m sure those who watch them, like me, get great value from them.
I haven't read any adventure books since the famous five when I was a child but this is tempting me to try reading some more adventure stories. I've always loved adventure movies so I'll definitely check some of these out. Thanks for the great video
Thank you! You've made my day. That's exactly the reaction I was hoping to generate in viewers when I decided to make this video. I love the old adventure stories, and I lament that they're rarely read today.
I've been a recent collector of books from the Golden Age Of Children's Illustrated Books. The majority of my books are focused on the third phase of the Golden Age revolving around Howard Pyle's American Brandywine School which includes American illustrators such as Pyle, Willcox, Wyeth, Kirk, Parrish, Schaeffer, Schoonover, etc.
One thing to note when collecting Scribner's Illustrated Classics is that some of the first editions had 14 color plates (e.g., Kidnapped, Drums, Boy's King Arthur, Arabian nights, A Child's Garden of Verses, etc.). In contrast, later versions had only 8 color plates.
Thanks for sharing! The Brandywine School illustrators are among my very favorites. The first time I visited the Brandywine Museum (located at N.C. Wyeth's homestead studio in Chadds Ford, PA) more than 30 years ago, was a revelation to me, and it led me to start collecting those artists.
Rudyard Kipling’s Kim is one of my favorites. Although after he becomes westernized and a spy my interest waned somewhat. You could tell that Kipling was a student and thoroughly acquainted with Indian culture. And the telling of the adventures on his odyssey with the holy man are captivating and captures that era of India marvelously.
Kim is one of my favorites as well. Thanks for watching and commenting!
This was a great video Bridger! I loved traveling down the rabbit hole with you into the history of these classics. I have a lot of catch up to do in this area.
Thanks, Chas! If you haven't already read them, I suspect you might enjoy The Wind in the Willows, The Black Arrow, The Boy's King Arthur, and The Scottish Chiefs, among others. The Scottish Chiefs is surprisingly readable, despite being written more than 200 years ago.
@@thelibraryladder oh that’s great to know, because from the title it sounds like it could be much drier haha. I’ll look into those. The Wind in the Willows definitely interests me.
The art is realistic, but it’s also very dynamic and alive, there’s a sense of movement, and things being lived in. It’s hard to get that balance right.
Great observation! That's one of the things N.C. Wyeth was best known for. He once explained that he tried to use his illustrations to anticipate the action described in a book's scene. Where most illustrators would capture the climax or aftermath of a scene, Wyeth often tried to catch it just before or at the start of an act. It's one of the reason he's my all-time favorite illustrator.
Thank you sir! Honestly. He reminds me of Frank Frazetta. Frazetta had a sense of energy and motion.
I especially love the Mohican ones. Like where the Mohican wrestles the red coat. I don’t know the names, I haven’t read the story itself.
I like that art tip, illustrate just the moment before the big action. When I learn to draw I’m gonna implement that.
Because, at the climax, things are done, that’s why it’s the climax.
But just before the beginning? That is the action itself, you see it, you feel it.
Keep up the good work.
Thanks, I'll try!
My favorite book in this edition is The Scottish Chiefs. N C Wyeths paintings are so majestic.
It's one of my favorites, too, along with The Black Arrow and The Last of the Mohicans. They contain some of Wyeth's best artwork, in my opinion.
This was such a helpful and insightful video. Thank you!
You're so welcome! I'm glad you found it enjoyable.
Jules Verne is an author dear to my heart! Thank you
You're in luck! I have a substantial collection of early editions of Verne's novels, and I plan to do a video overview of his works sometime next year (as I work my way through my long list of video topics). In the meantime, you might find this short video of mine interesting: ua-cam.com/users/shortsRG_ZLcHgVbE?feature=share.
These look like the books that I was finding in the school library in the 60s.
They probably are. There were a few in my school library in the 1970s, which is when I first encountered them. Scribner's kept most of them in print in this format through at least the 1950s. They reintroduced the series in the 1980s/90s with different bindings, but kept most of the artwork. The bindings and covers changed again for the latest editions.
Wonderful video
Excellent video! Learned a lot, thank you! :)
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Added 'The Black Arrow' to my current reading rotation, had an old Scholastic pocket sized version with illustrations (by Cheslie D'Andrea) at the beginning of each chapter.
This little kids' canon was probably universal. Verne, Stevenson, Defoe, Dumas, Scott and Seton were among favorite writers in the Soviet Union.
Given Russia's strong literary tradition, I didn't realize those authors were so widely read there. I also thought the Soviet government would have discouraged reading Western authors. Thanks for sharing that insight!
@@thelibraryladder It was not as straightforward as that. Classes were more important than countries. In some cases, foreign books famous in the USSR were almost unknown in their home countries. For example, a wonderful revolutionary fairy tale Cipollino by Gianni Rodari :)
Here's a list of titles included in one of the most iconic book series of those times: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Adventures
Books of many of these authors were published in large complete (well, almost complete) editions, like Mark Twain, Walter Scott, Mayne Reid, Cooper, Stevenson, Verne, Dumas...
Some years ago I tried to compile a small set of authors who defined my childhood. The top three lines were Jack London, Jules Verne and Ernest Thompson Seton.
Thanks for adding more context. I've never heard of Cipollino. I'll have to look for that one. The list of titles in the Library of Adventure series is great, but a little odd, particularly with respect to omitted titles by authors on the list. Your class-based explanation of that makes sense.
Your top three authors from childhood have featured spots in my own collection. It's unfortunate, though, that Seton and his classic novel Two Little Savages are practically unknown in the US today.
The traditional children's' stories that taught life lessons are long gone. Despite Rowling being a well centered person, she has usurped much of the literary children's world where "trending now" rules the day. This is an excellent episode, TLL, insofar as (to my reckoning) it exposes the nefarious plot by the publishers to flood the shelves with tripe, subpar schlock and indoctrinational subject matter. Thanks for this post, I have been steered toward better choices for my three grandsons of tender age but formidible intellect as a result. Cheers.
Thanks! The Scribner Classics series really lives up to its name. I hope your grandsons enjoy the books as much as I did when I was young (and still do).
You make me want to find them all and buy them.
Please do, because many of these older editions might otherwise end up in a landfill or pulped for cardboard.
I _think_ I have a copy of Swiss Family Robinson that was published under that imprint. With illustrations by Lynd Ward. Very charming story (if dated in spots) that's a very peaceful read with fantastic woodcut illustrations, although my copy seems to have been rebinded somehow, because the story kind of abruptly cuts to a different chapter in the middle of another one, then resumes the original chapter some many after that! (Bit hard to describe, I hope that made sense...). Just a unique quirk, I suppose!
The sequel by TJ Hoisington does a phenomenal job recapturing the "peaceful but interesting scientific adventure" vibes of the first story, less charming prose and mildly strange differences aside (renaming New Switzerland to "Robinson Island", for instance). The illustrations, while also in black and white for the most part, attempt a nostalgic feel that, from what I remember, does pull off decently.
Thanks for sharing! The edition of Swiss Family Robinson you're describing is part of the Illustrated Junior Library published by Grosset & Dunlap, which was a long-running series similar to the Scribner one that published illustrated editions of classic children's books. The Grosset & Dunlap series was marketed as a less-expensive alternative to the Scribner series, which made it a fixture in cost-conscious schools and public libraries for decades.
Grosset & Dunlap kept its costs lower by using lower quality paper and bindings and employing less famous illustrators. Nevertheless, they're quite nice and are some of the highest quality editions G&D ever published. (G&D's market niche was as a lower-cost publisher, and these illustrated editions are of substantially higher production quality than their typical output.)
This was really cool! For how much I love book illustration I don't really know much about it haha. It was nice to see this piece of history, and now I'm side-eyeing some. On that note, are you planning any more videos on illustrated books?
Thanks! I plan to make more videos highlighting classic book illustrations and artists, perhaps every few months or so.
I think the John R. McNeil illustrations for the Oz books by L. Frank Baum are among the best illustrations matched to the written works. My favorite of all the books in the series isn't the most popular of the bunch, Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, but the gorgeously illustrated Ozma of OZ.
I agree with you (I have the McNeil-illustrated set published by Reilly & Lee). I'm partial to the artwork in Ozma of Oz, Tik Tok of Oz, and The Emerald City of Oz.
Thanks much
Some of the books you mentioned can be found, and downloaded, on the site of the Gutenberg project. (Gutenberg org)
With the mentioned illustrations. And now I’m off, reading the black arrow.
I’m Dutch, so a lot of these books are new to me.
Thanks! That's awesome that the Gutenberg Project has the classic artwork now! I remember when they just had plain text versions of books. I hope you enjoy reading them!
Good Morning, I'm new to your channel so forgive me if it already exists, but could you make a video about books that have libraries and/or librarians as common setting of the story or as a destination like a lost/ hidden/ forgotten library.
You could name it "Libraries/Vaults of Treasure in books"
I'm working on a fantasy story and would love to see examples of how this setting has been written in past books.
Also books with wizard's libraries, observatories, homes, towers etc. In a video named "Where Wizards used to live/studied/worked" would be amazing.
There's room on the shelves (and the Digitial Realm) for both old and new
My reading backlog gets some new memebers it seems.
Might pick up King Arthur orRobin Hood after I am done with Asimov's Foundation series. Guy Gavriel Kay's books are also in my list. Probably I will start with The Fionavar Tapestry then The Lions of Al Rassan.
Wonderful! There are many different retellings of the Arthurian and Robin Hood legends, due to their origins as oral folktales. Howard Pyle's versions are fun to read, in part because they deviate significantly from later versions popularized by film adaptations (or by T.H. White's 'The Once and Future King'). I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
I always wondered how Hollywood would handle the end of C. S. Lewis' Narnia series and its ending - it was always like a hospital pass for the last director - and it was because no one appears to have read the series all the way to the end
That’s a good question. It’s my understanding that the film producers never intended to adapt all seven books in the Narnia series. Instead, they initially had hoped to make four films, but the second and third films weren’t successful enough to attract the funding needed for the fourth (The Silver Chair).
The BBC took a similar approach in the late 1980s when it adapted only those four books for a series of TV productions.
It would be interesting to see a production of all seven books sequenced in chronological order (not publication order) as one giant story. Perhaps HBO, Netflix or Disney will one day make the attempt.
I find it’s easier for the average person to collect books dedicated to specific artists than it is to track down the books they illustrated.
You could do ASMR with this voice or just narrate all documentaries and I would listen all day long
It would be a perfect bedtime story voice
Really need to read watership down, but I’m currently busy with A Song for Arbonne!
I have a video about Watership Down planned in the coming months.
Thanks! Do you know any documentary filmmakers who need a narrator? :)
@@thelibraryladder I'm so glad to hear that. I love Watership Down!
Jonique'a Smith:She looks a lot like Robin Williams at 2:45.😮
Frances Hodgson Burnett does bear an uncanny resemblance to him. Hmm.... :)
The art and books are all cultural treasures. Unfortunately, we live in a woke culture that finds these stories "problematic" and therefore must be cancelled ( Yes, I'm being hyperbolic...I think most folks have common sense and an appreciation for the past and all its complications ) at all costs! Hopefully we can come out of this strange time and simply enjoy Ivanhoe or Harry Potter without the woke stigma agenda. Thanks for showing the beautiful art that accompanied these older classics. I grew up in the 1970s and early 80s and loved the many reprints, amongst them the Howard Pyle Adventures of Robin Hood etc I think I came out of that era with a love and appreciation of both the old and the new. Glad you shone a light on these classics and their art.. I'd also add The Gormenghast Trilogy and art of Mervyn Peake....not for all kids, but older ones who have a dark sense of humour....Ok.....Cheers!
Thanks for sharing. I'm a firm believer in the idea that context matters. Many books (old and new) have problematic elements, but if they're read with an awareness of the time and place they were written or set, it should be possible to enjoy them and gain an understanding of how they helped shape future authors.
@@thelibraryladder Exactly! Thank you for the response and your excellent content....also, love what is in your book collection.
Although, it isn't a classic work my favorite was 'Artie AND the princess' by Marjorie Torrey. Of course, i read it in it's spanish versión.
Ooooh, that's one I haven't run across before. Based on the glowing reviews it has on Goodreads and Amazon, it certainly seems like it should be considered a classic. I'm going to track down a copy. Thanks for the recommendation!
@@thelibraryladder It's a pleasure, sir. AND about 'Artie...', it's plotline remembered me somehow 'The Reluctant Dragon' by #KennethGrahame. This Is a story that i want to read too.
Hello, I have been recently watching your videos and I don't leave messages on these because most of them never get read. And so I'm attempting this,.hopfully not in vain, so as to let you know I'm interested in your opinions just based on videos of course. I'll get right to it and say that I have and continue to watch other book reviews but you seem to have a, for lack of that special word
, passionate about good literature so I'm going to throw you a fastball because using sports metaphors is lame and I'm all about exposing lameness as you seem to be.Getting really brutish out there isn't it? Let's see a video about obscure science fiction. Not the usual stuff or more recent but the overlooked or forgotten and you might include if you choose any historical facts regarding these choices. Is this something others would enjoy? I'll stick around and wait for any responses tonight from others here.
Hi! Thanks for commenting. Science fiction is one of my favorite genres, and I have a lot of the overlooked and forgotten kind in my collection. (It's the second largest component of my collection, behind classic children's books.) In fact, I'm working now on a video about SF great Vernor Vinge, who hit his peak in the 1980s and 90s. It'll be a career retrospective covering his nearly 50-year writing career starting in the mid-1960s. You might also find interesting the video I made a couple of months ago about the pioneering 1950s SF publisher Gnome Press. (ua-cam.com/video/_HlKhLG3ZxE/v-deo.html)
After focusing mainly on fantasy in my early videos, I'm slowly diversifying to include videos on a wider range of genres, including science fiction. Stay tuned!
If you narrate a book, I hope you begin with 20, ooo leagues under the Sea!
Great suggestion! I'd probably start with something a little shorter, though, to test the waters.
This was the wrong place to suggest ideas.
Patience, please. I don't monitor the comments 24/7. Please see my response last night to your original suggestion. Thanks. :)
Hairy Popper, a poor-quality, incoherent, derivative pollution of the genre
Are these hard to find? A quick google search shows resellers so I guess there isnt a current reprint
Several of the Scribner Illustrated Classics are still in print and can be purchased new on Amazon. Here are links to a few of them:
www.amazon.com/Arabian-Nights-Best-Known-Scribner-Classics/dp/1534430180/
www.amazon.com/Robin-Hood-Paul-Creswick/dp/0684181622/
www.amazon.com/King-Arthur-Malorys-Scribner-Classics/dp/1534428410/
www.amazon.com/David-Balfour-Adventures-Scribners-Illustrated/dp/0684197367/
www.amazon.com/Black-Arrow-Illustrated-Classic-Wyeth/dp/1950435075/
www.amazon.com/Treasure-Island-Robert-Louis-Stevenson/dp/0689854684/
Most of the rest are relatively easy to find on eBay because they remained in print for decades. A few, though, are quite scarce.
@@thelibraryladder thank you for the video and the links! Quality stuff!