A Little Boy Was Drawing

Roger Duvoisin

Published by Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1932

About this Item

An excellent, very good plus first edition copy of the first book published by this famous author/illustrator of children's books. Multicolored patterned cloth-covered boards, red printed label pasted to the front board, 9 3/4 x 8 1/8 inches, unpaginated, color illustrated endpapers, numerous color and b/w illustrations throughout. The book has been carefully read. Very good plus (mild patchy staining, front board; tiny focus of staining, bottom edge of book block; very mild edge wear, with small erosion of cloth at bottom tips; pages are clean and the illustrations are bright; binding sound). No tears to pages. No markings of previous owners of any kind. Quite scarce, especially in this condition. No dustcover. "Roger Duvoisin was born August 28, 1904, in Geneva, Switzerland. The young Duvoisin showed an early interest in art, music, and books. After attending music and art schools in Switzerland and France, he painted murals, posters, and stage scenery and worked in a textile studio. His talent in textile designs brought him the opportunity to move to New York in 1927 to work for the Maillinson's Silk Company. Four years later, the company went out of business, but the president's son showed a manuscript of Duvoisin's to Charles Scribner, who published the book, A Little Boy Was Drawing (1932). Duvoisin went on to create more than forty books and illustrate more than 140 books for children. He was perhaps best known as the illustrator of the "Happy Lion" series, written by his wife, Louise Fatio. Duvoisin created other popular animal characters in Veronica, Petunia, Donkey-Donkey, and Hector-Penguin. He continued to work as a commercial artist, including assignments for The New Yorker. Duvoisin was the recipient of many awards and honors, among them the 1948 Caldecott Medal for White Snow, Bright Snow. Duvoisin's work was selected four times for the New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books of the Year and seventeen times for the American Institute of Graphic Arts Fifty Best Books of the Year. For distinguished contributions to children's literature, he received the Society of Illustrators Award in 1961; the Rutgers Award in 1966; the Hans Christian Andersen Medal runner-up for 1968; the Silver Medallion of the University of Southern Mississippi in 1971; and the Kerlan Award of the University of Minnesota in 1976. Duvoisin died June 30, 1980, in Morristown, New Jersey." (1722RO088).

Seller Inventory # 3999

Bibliographic Details

• Title: A Little Boy Was Drawing
• Publisher: Charles Scribner's Sons, New York
• Publication Date: 1932
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket
• Seller catalogs:
  • Children's Books