Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Celebrating Tasha Tudor

Today is Tasha Tudor's birthday. She died in June of this year, at the age of ninety-two. While I have many fond memories of reading books that were illustrated by her, two stand out in my mind (whose covers are pictured to the left and below), possibly because I still own these books, and have shared them with my children. Others, such as Pumpkin Moonshine, Tudor's first published book, we've checked out of the library and enjoyed immensely. I was excited to learn of a volume of the poetry of Emily Dickinson illustrated by Tudor, but disappointed to find that it's out of print.

Her illustrations are sweet and old-fashioned, like the artist, herself. Her eccentric lifestyle is legendary, and fun to read about and imagine.

Here are a few Tasha Tudor-related links I've come across in my wanderings :

The Tasha Tudor Museum, in Marlboro, VT.
Tasha Tudor and Family, which has recipes, anecdotes, and
information, including this page, which is a short biography of Tudor.
The Tasha Tudor Memorial Website, which has a lovely quote from Tudor about what she thought might be beyond this life.
Here is a growing list of blogs celebrating Tudor's birthday with posts about her work today.

Here in New England, not too far from where Tasha Tudor was born, it's a beautiful summer day--one that is perfect for celebrating the life and work of an extraordinary woman.


8 comments:

Carrie said...

Thanks for the links. My post presents a Tasha Tudor illus. book published in Worcester Massachusetts. It is a leatherbound miniature book illustrated by Tasha Tudor.
http://oakrisecottage.blogspot.com/2008/08/tasha-tudor-day-august-28-1915-june-18.html

Christina said...

Thanks, Carrie! I'll check it out.

MP said...

Hey, I visited your blog after a long time and looks like you are on a roll here! Lots of cool stuff. I especially love the big and bold scarlet letter of atheism. I must get it for my blog.

Jamie {See Jamie blog} said...

I think I saw where you can order that Emily Dickenson book on Amazon; it was used but good condition and not a bad price. Worth checking out. :-)

Christina said...

Thanks, Jamie! I'll see what I can find used. Fetchbook lets you know where a book is available at what prices, too, so I'll check there, too.

Christina said...

Thanks for visiting, Manoj! Come back again some time.

Alison Kerr said...

I see that you like books. What a charming cover of The Secret Garden - one of my all-time favorite stories. The moors setting really resonates for me. It's probably no surprise that I love Jane Eyre also.

Christina said...

Hi Alison,

I was just over at your blog and was enjoying reading your posts about alternative heating options and about your recent experience with nature walks. Wild Days looks interesting--I'll have to check it out!

Jane Eyre is a favorite of mine, too. Melancholic temperament? Yes, indeedy.