If Your Picture Were in the Dictionary
Remember looking through old encyclopedias or other reference books at the pictures and drawings that were contained? There were so many wonderful images to look at - and they were all very inspiring for young artists. Chronicle Books has come out with another fabulous book that captures the images of dictionaries of old. Pictorial Webster's - A Visual Dictionary of Curiosities is a grand book that captures thousands of engravings which accompanied entries in this reference book for many years. It's a delight for the eyes.
This work features more than 1,500 images that origianlly were in the pages of 19th-century Webster's dictionaries. The book itself is a clunky weight of a book and looks like it would appear on the shelf of an 1800s library. The author, John M. Carrera, found a tattered 1898 Webster's International Dictionary in his grandmother's stone farmhouse and was amazed by the contents. There was a stunning array of odd and wonderful animals and machines printed by categories. Carrera found that the original engravings still existed and had been given to Yale. Carrera is a printer, bookbinder, and artist that was then secured permission to meticulously clean and restore the engravings. The result is a treat.
Pictorial Webster's is a record of all the wonderful natural discoveries and innovations of the time of the Industrial Revolution. It's great to see what children of two or three generations ago were looking at and what type of world existed.
As an exclusive offer, Chronicle Books is giving away one fine press edition (edition C of 26 lettered A-Z/value $4,500!). Any person or institution around the country is eligible to enter (except Chronicle employees). Chronicle launched the give away at the American Library Association Conference a few weeks ago and will announce the winners in mid-Nov.
Here is a link to enter (you should enter) and for more info:
http://www.chroniclebooks.com/index/main,book-info/store,gifts/products_id,8162/
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