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

"MA GIG CASEMENTS-"
sidered. slightingly; it is, as has been said, a charming series
of stories; it merely suffers because both The Wonder Clock
and Pepper and Salt made their appearance before.
Though Howard Pyle's contribution to the literature of
fairies came to an end with Tucxlight Land, the Garden Behind the Moon, which was published in the same year is, to
be sure, in reality a fairy tale. It is something more, however. It is an allegory, and it is the allegorical side of it
that is striking, that completely eclipses the fairy-tale element. With his three books of fanciful tales, however,
Howard Pyle established himself as a master of the form.
His tales were written and illustrated with a perfection that
can only be marveled at; the duality of his genius placed
him head and shoulders above his contemporary rivals. And
throughout all of his tales there are no crudities, no useless
cruelties, no inharmonious or evilly suggestive scenes such as
are to be found in so many purely mythical stories. As one
grateful parent wrote him, "we never have to skip a word."
There is one other book which can be most conveniently
treated here. It is A Modern Aladdin, which, while not
strictly speaking a fairy tale, is so highly romantic, so deliciously extravagant that it can easily be grouped with
them. This is not primarily a child's book; it has its strongest appeal, perhaps, to young people in their teens, but it
is quite capable of entrancing those who are much older.
It is an account of the amazing adventures of a young
French peasant whom the Comte de St.-Germaine, that mysterious figure in polite French history, claimed as a nephew.
In spite of the rapidity of the story, Howard Pyle had considerable difficulty in persuading anyone to accept it. Mr.
Burlingame would not have it for the newly founded Scrib[109]