Synopses & Reviews
She trusted her immense intuition and generous heart--and published the most groundbreaking books for children in modern history... Ursula Nordstrom, director of Harper's Department of Books for Boys and Girls from 1940 to 1973, was arguably the single most creative force for innovation in children's book publishing in the United States during the twentieth century. Considered an editor of maverick temperament and taste, her unorthodox vision helped create such classics as Goodnight Moon, Charlotte's Web, Where the Wild Things Are, Harold and the Purple Crayon, and The Giving Tree.
Leonard S. Marcus has culled an exceptional collection of letters from the HarperCollins archives. The letters included here are representative of the brilliant correspondence that was instrumental in the creation of some of the most beloved books in the world today. Full of wit and humor, they are immensely entertaining, thought-provoking, and moving in their revelation of the devotion and high-voltage intellect of an incomparably gifted editor, mentor, and publishing visionary.
About the Author
Leonard S. Marcus is an historian, biographer, and critic whose many books include Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom; Margaret Wise Brown: Awakened by the Moon; The Making of Goodnight Moon: A Fiftieth Anniversary Retrospective; and Lifelines. Mr. Marcus is a graduate of Yale University and of the University of Iowa's graduate Writers Workshop in Poetry. He and his wife, the illustrator Amy Schwartz, live with their son, Jacob, in Brooklyn, NY.