Howard Pyle, a chronicle by Charles D. Abbott, with an introduction by N. C. Wyeth and many illustrations from Howard Pyle's works.

HOWARD PYLE: A CHRONICLE
hope. On April 1 2, 18 81, they were married, Howard Pyle
and Anne Poole, with A. B. Frost acting as best man.
Then the work that meant his career really began in
earnest; not that it had not been in earnest before, but now
there was something more tangible in view, now there was
a responsibility that gave motive force to his plans and
ambitions. One of the first things undertaken was an
illustrated edition of Yankee Doodle-a very rare book
now-for Dodd, Mead & Company. It was 'done in
color in a very crude way, for the methods of color reproduction were by no means refined in 18 81. It was full of a
quaint and sprightly kind of humor, and was sufficiently successful to, be followed up by The Lady of Shalott, done in
the same 'manner. But whereas in so vigorous a subject
as Yankee Doodle the imperfect coloring made little difference, in this new book with its romantic fervor and in-%
tensity it meant a cheapening and vulgarizing of the pictures.
The Lady of Shalott was a book which Howard Pyle always
looked back upon with horror. Nothing would have suited
him better than to see every copy destroyed. His critical
standards were always high; he would have withdrawn the
book at the time of publication had it been possible.
The Robi~n Hood was published in 1883. It was a masterpiece of writing for children, and incidentally a masterpiece of printing and binding. Every detail had been
carefully attended to by Howard Pyle himself. It was so
beautiful a book, and so much care and expense had been
lavished upon it, that its price had to be, unfortunately, too
high for it to become at once a popular book. But as time
went by it sold in increasing numbers, and in the eyes of
many has remained its author's most perfect work. The
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