Ugly racial stereotypes abound in many children's books of the 19th and early 20th century. Blacks were the primary target, but others could feel the prejudice as well, such as that shown in John Chinaman, by Rowe Livingston, published in 1891. Western children are told about their Asian counterparts, “Their faces yellow as a guinea, grin ever in a way unpleasant. No nose have they, or scarcely any, eye-slits that slope to where it isn't.” Item 120. $650.
Blacks were regularly the target of all kinds of hideous stereotyping, though this 1942 book represents a small step forward. It is the story of Ten Little Colored Boys, with pictures by Emery Gondor. At least they have referred to the children as “colored boys,” as this tale usually referred to them with a much worse slur during this era. The top of this book features cut-out heads of stereotypical black boys, with one disappearing each time a page was turned. Item 91. $400.
Item 293 is a first edition, first issue of the 1896 book The Little Colonel, by Annie Fellows Johnston. Included is laid-in handwritten letter from the author to a fan. It is a story of a young child, her parents estrangement from her prosperous grandfather, and such, with humor concerning the precocious, at times fitful, child (the “Little Colonel”) and her crusty, slow to conciliate grandfather. It was a story just waiting for Shirley Temple to to be born to portray, and seven years after she was, Ms. Temple would fill the role in the 1935 film of the same name. $1,500.
The illustrator John R. Neill did not create the series of Oz books, nor did he even illustrate the first and best known, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. However, creator L. Frank Baum was not satisfied with his original illustrator, W.W. Denslow, so he turned to Neill. He was far more pleased. Neill would illustrate all of the remaining 13 Oz books Baum would write. After Baum died, and Ruth Plumly Thompson took over writing duties, Neil would continue as illustrator. Finally, after she relinquished the role as “Royal Historian of Oz,” Neill took over as both writer and illustrator. He illustrated all of the Oz books published from 1905-1942, and also wrote the last three in that period. The middle of those three was The Scalawagons of Oz. Scalawagons were magical cars that could fly as well as drive. Item 383 is the original artwork Neill created for an illustration for the Scalawagons. In it, a man rushes to get into a scalawagon, while a group of creatures known as “Bell-men” look on. The image is shown above on this page. It was not used in the book. The drawing came from the estate of Neill's daughter. $5,500.
Aleph-Bet Books may be reached at 914-764-7410 or Helen@alephbet.com. Their website is found at www.alephbet.com.
