Rare Book Moment 4: Victorian women

One of the fascinating aspects of book collecting is the opportunity to look down through history to a specific time and place and learn much about the inhabitants of the era. In this case, we're taking a look, through several beautiful little volumes, at American women during the Victorian Era. The books shown in this short episode of Rare Book Moment are snapshots that give us a glimpse into what life might have been like for educated women of some means. Please watch the video, and if you have questions, please leave them below.

Happy birthday, illustrator John Steptoe

It is the birthday of children's book writer and illustrator John Steptoe (1950), who is best remembered for his The Jumping Mouse (1985) and Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters (1988), both of which were named Caldecott Honor Books. He also illustrated Mother Crocodile (1988), which received the Coretta Scott King Award for illustration as did Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters. Steptoe wrote and illustrated 11 books and illustrated five others. He died in 1989 at the age of 38.

Steinberg drew famous New Yorker cover

It is the birthday of artist Saul Steinberg (1914), who is best known for his 1976 cover illustration in The New Yorker magazine titled View of the World from 9th Avenue, a mental landscape of Manhattan residents. It was widely published as a poster and became quite popular. It was imitated and parodied for years, including a poster for the 1984 film Moscow on the Hudson, which led to a lawsuit decided in Steinberg's favor. Steinberg worked for The New Yorker for more than 50 years and produced 90 covers and more than 1,200 drawings. Steinberg also created other works of art, including drawings, paintings, prints, collages, and sculptures, exploring society, politics, human foibles, geography, architecture, art, and language.

Rare Book Moment: Illustrating the classics

Here's edition No. 12 of Rare Book Moment. Mike discusses the various illustration styles in classics like Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz. Also, watch for the new segment For What It's Worth, a discussion of the values of books mentioned in the program.

Rare Book Moment: Victorian women

Welcome to another edition of Rare Book Moment! Enjoy! If you like it, share it!