Robert Lawson
(Robert (Rob, Robin) Ripley Lawson)
(1892 - 1957)
Robert Lawson was an American author and illustrator. He is considered one of the finest creators of children’s books of his time. Lawson was the first to receive both of the top two American prizes in this field: the Caldecott Medal for They Were Strong and Good (1940), and the Newbery Medal for Rabbit Hill (1945).
Bibliography
Mr. Twigg’s Mistake (1947)
Arthur Amory Appleton finds a mole in the garden, names him General de Gaulle and feeds him on Bita-Vita Breakfast food with vitamin X. The results are astounding.
Read online at archive.org.
Mr. Wilmer (1945)
When William Wilmer learns, on his 29th birthday, that he can understand animals and talk to them, his dreary life gets a change for the better -- and wilder.
Mr. Wilmer (1946)
On his twenty-ninth birthday William Wilmer discovers that he can converse with animals. From then on, life became highly exciting and lots of fun. This is the first British edition.
Nelly Custis Daughter of Mount Vernon (1937)
Nelly Custis was the granddaughter of Martha Washington by her first husband. She was adopted by George and Martha at the age of four and grew up at Mount Vernon.
One Foot in Fairyland (1938)
A collection of fairy tales and short stories by the author of Martin Pippin in the Apple Orchard. Robert Lawson drew the pictures.
Peik (1932)
Peik is a little Norwegian orphan who goes to live with his cousin the Professor. He soon makes friends with Mariken and her cousins, the city mouse and the country mouse who take him to the movies and to ride on the street cars. Robert Lawson drew the pictures.
Pilgrim’s Progress (1939)
This is an abridged retelling of John Bunyan’s classic allegory about the Christian life. The text is by Mary Godolphin with illustrations by Robert Lawson. Stokes did not date its reprintings, but the war years editions are characterized by thinner paper. Stokes was sold to J. B. Lippincott in 1943 and they continued to publish new printings.
Read online at archive.org.
Mary Godolphin
Poo-Poo and the Dragons (1942)
The creator of Captain Horatio Hornblower told this story to his little boy to help him eat when he was feeling sad because his mother was away on a visit.
The Powder Town (1915)
A short news story about the booming of the DuPont gunpowder factory in Haskell, New Jersey at the start of World War I. It appeared with a single illustration in the December 4, 1915 issue of Harper's Weekly on page 542. Read online at Hathitrust.
The Prince and the Pauper (1937)
Edward Prince of Wales trades places with poor Tom Canty for a lark, but finds it almost more than he can manage to trade back again. This is the Children's Bookshelf edition.
Prince Prigio (1942)
At his christening, an evil fairy gives Prince Prigio the gift of being too clever. Fortunately, with the help of the magic gifts of his other fairy godmothers, everything turns out in the end.
Rabbit Hill (1944)
Little Georgie and his friends welcome the New Folks to Rabbit Hill.
As a wartime book, the paper is thinner and not as white as Lawson would have preferred. Nevertheless, the paper of the first printing is slightly heavier than that of subsequent war time printings.
The Junior Literary Guild binding is red brown and has only an outline of Little Georgie, while the trade edition is a light brown cloth with all-over decoration.
Between the third printing in October 1944 and the fourth in April 1945, the Newbery Award sticker was added to the dust jacket.
For the eighth printing in April 1960 new plates were made and the paper is much higher quality, but the shadows tend to be too dark, obscuring the detail in the original drawings.
Read online at Internet Archive.
Real People Benjamin Franklin (1950)
Benjamin Franklin was a businessman, inventor, scientist and diplomat.
In this brief biography, Robert Lawson’s illustrations help to bring his life and accomplishments to younger readers.
Winthrop Neilson
Robbut a Tale of Tails (1948)
When Robbut saves the Little Man from a trap, he gets his heart’s desire, three times, but in the ends decides he is better off just as he was.
The cover on the trade edition is the same as the dust jacket while the Junior Literary Guild edition has a library binding.
Robbut a Tale of Tails (1949)
When Robbut saves the Little Man from a trap, he gets his heart’s desire, three times, but in the ends decides he is better off just as he was. This British edition has a colored dust jacket.
Robert Lawson Illustrator (1972)
A generous selection of Robert Lawson’s illustrations from ‘We Fix Flats’ to The Great Wheel.
Read online at archive.org.
The Roving Lobster (1931)
Unhappy with his life at the bottom of the sea, the Lobster decides to try his luck on the land. He meets many interesting creatures in his travels and in the end decides to return to his home.
In this, the second collaboration with Arthur Mason, Robert Lawson again supplies the pictures.
Seven Beads of Wampum (1936)
Marita is a Dutch girl who comes to New Amsterdam with her parents.
Shoelace Robin (1945)
Little Michael O’Malley comes to the rescue of a small bird and receives some step-by-step instruction from a robin in the art of lacing shoes.
With illustrated endpapers showing how to tie a shoelace and a shoe to practice with at the back of the book.
Read online at archive.org.
Slim (1934)
This story is based on Haines’ experiences as a lineman. This hardcover edition includes illustrations by Robert Lawson.
Read online at archive.org.