Harold Mason, owner of the Centaur Bookshop in Philadelphia asked Wharton Esherick to illustrate Walt Whitman's "Song of the broad-axe", which Mason published in a limited edtion in 1924. Esherick created a hand-bound prototype book of Whitman's poem, using prints made directly from his blocks and hand-lettering it in Esherick's own calligraphic style. Illuminated letters were used to begin paragraphs, and spaces at the end of lines were filled with blue and yellow drawings that reflect the content of the verses. The result was a work of art, 17 x 12 inches, with pages of handmade paper, folded and uncut. This book is a reproduction of Esherick's prototype, authorized by the Wharton Esherick Museum in Paoli, Pennsylvania. Though this edition is smaller than the prototype book, the original was carefully scanned and printed to provide as true a reproduction as possible. It faithfully captures the artist's vision and skill and, for the first time, makes this work available to the general public.

Widely celebrated as the father of the Studio Furniture Movement, Wharton Esherick is one of the most important furniture designers of the twentieth century. Presenting his preserved hillside house and studio, this book showcases seven decades of innovative woodwork and sculpture, embodying his influence on American art and design. Wharton Esherick (1887–1970) stands as a pivotal figure in 20th-century American art, craft, and design. Now known as the Wharton Esherick Museum, the artist’s self-proclaimed “autobiography in three dimensions” on Valley Forge Mountain, constructed between 1926 and 1966, served as his creative epicenter and a vibrant community hub. To introduce Esherick’s visionary work to a broader public, this book draws on the museum’s collection of almost 3,000 objects, many never before seen outside his home and studio, following Esherick’s evolution from paintings and woodcut illustrations to his revolutionary fusion of furniture and organic sculpture. Through fully contextualizing iconic works in Esherick’s own space, this book immerses readers in his creative world while capturing his unparalleled artistic contributions to the realms of furniture, architecture, prints, drawings, and sculpture.

Complete set of the thirteen woodcut illustrations used in the 1924 edition of Song of the Broad-axe by Walt Whitman, published by Centaur Press in Philadelphia. Each woodcut is titled and numbered "16". The titles are (as they appear in the book): No.I, Ship struck in storm, Beauty of woodmen, building, the forger, hell of war, The great city, of the best-bodied mothers, the hammers-men, the headsman, solid forest, the liquor-bar, and No.II.

Typescript with corrections, galley proofs with corrections and page proofs with instructions to the printer.

Reference tool for Rare Books Collection.

From the desert vistas of Georgia O'Keeffe's New Mexico ranch to Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner's Hamptons cottage, step into the homes and studios of illustrious American artists and witness creativity in the making. Celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the Historic Artists' Homes and Studios program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, this is the first guidebook to the forty-four site museums in the network, located across all regions of the United States and all open to the public. The guide conveys each artist's visual legacy and sets each site in the context of its architecture and landscape, which often were designed by the artists themselves. Through portraits, artwork, and site photos, discover the powerful influence of place on American greats such as Andrew Wyeth, Grant Wood, Winslow Homer, and Donald Judd as well as lesser-known but equally creative figures who made important contributions to cultural history-photographer Alice Austen and muralist Clementine Hunter among them.