Garth Williams, American Illustrator - by Elizabeth K Wallace & James D Wallace (Hardcover)

About the Book

Open the pages of so many children's classics--Stuart Little, Charlotte's Web, Mister Dog, The Cricket in Times Square, The Rescuers, the Little House books--and you will see page after page of the artistry that brought those stories to life. And behind the illustrations sparking the imagination of generations was a man who had an extraordinary existence.

Born in New York City in 1912, Williams was educated in England and trained on the continent. After enduring the Blitz in London, he returned to New York, where he encountered the vibrant art and cultural scene of the 1940s. He made his home first in New York, then Aspen, and finally Guanajuato, Mexico and was married four times. During his life he met people who shaped and exemplified the twentieth century: Winston Churchill, E. B. White and Ursula Nordstrom, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and countless more.

This is a biography of Garth Williams as an artist and an illustrator. It is the story of how his journey led him from winning sculpture awards at the Royal College of Art in London, to capturing the essence of frontier life in the American West, to rendering the humanity of beloved animal characters. The biography also explores the historical context that affected Williams' life and art, both in the old world and the new. Against the frenetic pace of post-war suburbanization, Williams' illustrations nurtured a connection with the animal world and with a vanishing agrarian life. By tapping into American themes, Williams spoke to a postwar yearning for simplicity.

Complete with more than 60 illustrations, this is the first full biography of Garth Williams written with the help and cooperation of his family.

Book Synopsis

Open the pages of so many children's classics and get a glimpse into the life of Garth Williams, the artist that sparked the imagination of generations.

Stuart Little, Charlotte's Web, The Rescuers, are just a few books that Williams' beautiful illustrations brought to life. Born in New York in 1912, he was educated in England and returned to the States in the 1940s, encountering a vibrant art and cultural scene. He married four times throughout his life, living in different cities and countries over the years, and met many people who shaped and exemplified the 20th century: Winston Churchill, E.B. White, and many more.

This is the story of how Williams' journey took him from winning awards for his sculptures in London, to capturing the essence of frontier life in the American West, to rendering the humanity of beloved characters. A contrast to the rapid suburbanization of the post-war era, Williams' illustrations nurtured a connection with the natural world and a disappearing rural lifestyle. By tapping into American themes, his work speaks to the postwar desire yearning for simplicity.

Complete with more than 60 illustrations, this is the first full biography of Garth Williams written with the help and cooperation of his family.

Review Quotes

"While many are familiar with Williams' illustrations, which have graced classic novels from E.B. White and Laura Ingalls Wilder to picture books from various Golden Books to the Frances series by--this book makes easy work of knowing the man behind the pencil. Married four times, living around the world, meeting influential foreign dignitaries, Williams lived a full life, which is cataloged here."--Publishers Weekly

"Garth Williams, American Illustrator begins with the authors forgiving readers for knowing the work, but not the name, of the artist. Closing the cover, we feel a refreshed appreciation for the virtuosity of this talented man."--Meghan Cox Gurdon, The Wall Street Journal

About the Author

James D. Wallace is a scholar of American literature at Boston College, where has been on the faculty since 1985. Since receiving his doctorate from Columbia, he has published on a wide array of topics in American literature culture. He has enjoyed the opportunity to write this biography together with his wife as a way of keeping the extraordinary legacy of Garth Williams alive.
Holding a Ph. D. from Columbia University, Elizabeth K. Wallace has taught British literature and culture at Boston College for more than 20 years. Her previous publications have addressed a broad range of topics from women writers to the origins of shopping, from representations of the slave trade to the television series Mad Men. She has loved the illustrations of Garth Williams since she was a small child, but she holds a special affection for his work in the Little House Series.