The Garden Behind the Moon: A Real Story of the Moon Angel

New York, New York, U.S.A.: The Parabola Children's Library, 1990. Second Printing . Hard Back. Fine/Good. 5 1/2" x 8. Pyle, Howard. 176 Pages. Bound in emerald green cloth with gold lettering. The text and tan granite-textured endpapers are flawless. Green dust jacket has some shelf and edge wear with a 1/4 inch tear at top of front. Price $14.95 is unclipped. Known as one of America's best loved illustrators and founder of the Brandywine school of painting, Pyle had an enormous impact on the world of American illustration. Pyle was a Quaker and attended the Friends' School in Wilmington. In later year Pyle said he spent his time largely in scrawling drawings on his slate and in his books. Realizing their son's lack of interest in studying, the Pyle's gave up their idea of sending Howard to college and instead his mother encouraged him to study art. At sixteen he began three years of daily commutes to Philadelphia in order to study under the Belgian artist Van der Weilen. These classes would be the only systematic training in art that Pyle would receive and provided a solid foundation in the technique of drawing. Published in 1895 The Garden Behind the Moon was his last book written just after the death of his young son. The touching and tender allegory has long been a favorite with children and parents alike. This Parabola Edition contains all of Pyle's original pen-and-ink drawings and black and white oil en grisaille paintings, and the design and typography closely follows that of the first edition. Among his previous books were Robin Hood and Men of Iron.