C. B. Falls (1874–1960)

ABC Book by CB Falls was published in 1923. It is twenty-six woodcut prints. Unlike modern day ABC books that often have a story with the illustrations, or a central theme, there isn't one here. I suppose these are just words the author / illustrator thought children of the 1920s should know.

The illustrations cover the mundane to the exotic. There is a yak, a jaguar, and a unicorn as well as more common things like a turkey, a horse, and a bear. My all time favorite, though, is C is for cat, featuring a gorgeously rendered calico before a bowl of milk. She has similar spots to my own calico.

The artist behind this gorgeous book is Charles Buckles Falls (1874-1960). According to the National Heritage Museum site Falls worked in all sorts of media and industries including posters, book binding, advertising, and furniture.

The book I read was a gorgeous first edition that belongs to the K-12 collection at Holy Names University. It was one of the hundreds of books I cataloged for my fall internship.… (más)