Lois Lenski / Original Illustration for PROJECT BOY Signed 1954

Description: Dedicated To The Teacher Who Inspired The BookOriginal Illustration for PROJECT BOYBy Lois Lenski1954Original illustration for Lois Lenski's 1954 book PROJECT BOY, based on the lives of the children living in a housing project and taught by Marie Ram — with inscribed dedication by Lenski to Ram.Near fine. Lois Lenski built the most productive part of her career around depicting the sometimes hardscrabble lives of different US communities in her "Regional" and "Roundabout America" series, of which her Newberry Award-winning novel STRAWBERRY GIRL was a part. It is this regional interest that drew Lenski and Buffalo teacher Marie Ram together in 1950. Ram, hard at work on her master's thesis on regional children's books, reached out to Lenski as part of her research; their professional correspondence became more friendly over the years, and eventually Lenski stayed with Ram to gather material about life in Buffalo. She spoke to Ram's students, many of whom lived in the Buffalo Veterans Emergency Housing Project — this research would later become PROJECT BOY. Lenski "made sketches of the homes and the school" (THE BUFFALO NEWS), which she used as reference for the book's illustrations. The project was torn down shortly before PROJECT BOY's publication, reflecting the rapidly changing lives of Americans in the '50s. Lenski and Ram continued their correspondence even after PROJECT BOY was published, with a number of their letters preserved in the University of Oklahoma Libraries. Ram also maintained a personal archive of Lenski material including "a publisher's display of PROJECT BOY from original sketches," which she exhibited at the Buffalo State Teachers College in 1955 (THE BUFFALO NEWS). This illustration, from page 34 of the novel and inscribed to Ram, was likely among the collection exhibited. Aside from illuminating Ram and Lenski's friendship, this illustration also shows Lenski's white-out line corrections and the publisher's formatting notes. A charming glimpse into Lenski's working methods.Read more: "That Dog 'Went to School' in Buffalo: Teacher at P. S. 85 is Author's Friend," The Buffalo News, 4 August 1955. n.p. n.p, 1954. 7.5'' x 9.5''. Original pen and ink drawing on stiff card. Inscribed "To / Marie Ram" to margin of drawing and signed by Lenski. Various pencil notations to margins and rear of card. Card with mild toning to center, a couple tiny areas of residue from removed tape. Clean. Type Punch Matrix Type Punch Matrix is a rare book firm founded by Rebecca Romney and Brian Cassidy. Between them, they bring over 30 years of experience in the antiquarian book trade. TPM sells a mixture of beloved classics and innovative texts from throughout print history, for collectors and institutions alike. Handpress and modern books, archives and manuscripts, letterpress and ephemera: TPM aims to make collecting both more accessible and more diverse, and believes in the mindful acquisition, preservation, and celebration of the materials of our literary cultures. Proud member of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of American (ABAA), the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB), and the International Online Booksellers Association (IOBA). Guarantee We guarantee the accuracy and authenticity of all our listings. "First edition" always means first printing unless otherwise indicated. Items may be returned for any reason within 30 days, through prior arrangement, and in original condition. Maryland residents must add 6% sales tax. Shipping We pride ourselves on our packaging. All books are carefully packed to help ensure safe arrival in condition sent. We use new boxes, with not a single bubble envelope to be found in our shipping room. We ship most packages via USPS media mail and include delivery confirmation at no additional charge. Delivery typically takes 5-10 days, but may be longer, especially during the holidays. Orders are shipped within two business days. Priority USPS, UPS, and Fed-Ex services are available on request; please inquire for a specific quote. We combine shipping on items purchased at the same time. If you check out immediately and are overcharged for shipping during checkout, we will issue you a prompt refund, once actual shipping costs are known. International shipping is available, and we are happy to ship to our international customers. Please contact is BEFORE PURCHASING for an exact quote.This listing was created by Bibliopolis.

Price: 1100 USD

Location: Silver Spring, Maryland

End Time: 2025-02-03T04:33:33.000Z

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