Garth Williams, American Illustrator: A Life

Open the pages of so many children's classics and get a glimpse into the life of Garth Williams, the artist that sparked the imagination of generations.

Stuart Little, Charlotte's Web, The Rescuers, are just a few books that Williams' beautiful illustrations brought to life. Born in New York in 1912, he was educated in England and returned to the States in the 1940s, encountering a vibrant art and cultural scene. He married four times throughout his life, living in different cities and countries over the years, and met many people who shaped and exemplified the 20th century: Winston Churchill, E.B. White, and many more.

This is the story of how Williams' journey took him from winning awards for his sculptures in London, to capturing the essence of frontier life in the American West, to rendering the humanity of beloved characters. A contrast to the rapid suburbanization of the post-war era, Williams' illustrations nurtured a connection with the natural world and a disappearing rural lifestyle. By tapping into American themes, his work speaks to the postwar desire yearning for simplicity.

Complete with more than 60 illustrations, this is the first full biography of Garth Williams written with the help and cooperation of his family.


About the Author
James D. Wallace is a scholar of American literature at Boston College, where has been on the faculty since 1985. Since receiving his doctorate from Columbia, he has published on a wide array of topics in American literature culture. He has enjoyed the opportunity to write this biography together with his wife as a way of keeping the extraordinary legacy of Garth Williams alive.
Holding a Ph. D. from Columbia University, Elizabeth K. Wallace has taught British literature and culture at Boston College for more than 20 years. Her previous publications have addressed a broad range of topics from women writers to the origins of shopping, from representations of the slave trade to the television series Mad Men. She has loved the illustrations of Garth Williams since she was a small child, but she holds a special affection for his work in the Little House Series.