Tuesday, February 12, 2013

in love with a. lincoln.

I suppose Maira Kalman was my first ever favorite artist. As a child, I remember being enchanted by her books: brightly colored dreamscapes that were, if you were lucky, set to the lyrics of a Talking Heads song. (This particular book has been plucked from my childhood home and now sits on our bedroom dresser.)

Kalman's illustrated The Elements of Style on my desk. Photo by Carolyn Purnell for our Apartment Therapy house tour.
But within the last few years, Maira re-entered the spotlight with beautifully illustrated art essays that appeared in the New York Times, as well as in her books The Principles of Uncertainty and And the Pursuit of Happiness.  My other favorites have been her illustrations to works by others-- Strunk and White's The Elements of Style and Michael Pollan's Food Rules.

Last year, she released a children's book about your favorite president and mine, Honest Abe. It is called Looking at Lincoln, and though I've yet to page through this one, I can almost guarantee that it's wonderful.

Looking at Lincoln, from Nancy Paulsen books, is available here.

How do I know? Because Maira Kalman is in love with A. Lincoln, as she made known in a 2009 art essay published in the op-ed section of the New York Times. I fell in love with it then, and am in love with it now:





Read and see the rest of Maira Kalman's In Love with A. Lincoln in the NYT here.

In conclusion, Happy Birthday to two very special people: Abe-y Baby, as my mom would call him, and Liza J. 

Lots of love.
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5 comments:

  1. I saw Lincoln (by myself at 5pm on a Friday) and I didn't mind that it was 3 hours long. A minor miracle brought to you by a compelling actor portraying an enchanting character. Happy BDay, indeed.

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    1. I'm so terribly behind on seeing good movies from last year! I have to see it still. As long as it's not the eight hour extended version of Lord of the Rings Kevin dragged me to last summer, I think I'll be good.

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  2. Every time I visit the Lincoln monument, I am awed by Lincoln and his inspiring life and words. I got the chance to visit Lincolns home in Springfield, IL this summer and I got the same feeling. I love this--thank you so much for introducing it to me.

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    1. Oh man, I have been an Illinois resident my whole life and I still haven't made it down to Springfield yet! I've always wanted to-- maybe we'll be able to head down this summer. I don't know if you're into narrative nonfiction, but if you are, "Manhunt," by Stephen Ambrose is SUCH a spectacular read. It focuses more on James Wilkes Booth and the aftermath of the assassination than it does on the president himself, but it's completely engrossing and so interesting.

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    2. Oops, not Stephen Ambrose! I have him on the brain because Kev is rewatching all of "Band of Brothers." James Swanson is the author of "Manhunt!"

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