Lizzie Borden in Antartica
Well, not the person Lizzie Borden. The boat Lizzie Borden. In a children’s book by Wolcott Gibbs titled Bird Life at the Pole by Commander Christopher Robin. The book was published in 1931, soon after Lizzie’s death. From a recent eBay auction description:
THE BOOK IS A VERY HUMOROUS AND RISQUE THINLY DISGUISED SATIRE ABOUT WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST, COMMANDER RICHARD BYRD AND BRYD’S SHIP “ELEANOR BOLLING” NAMED FOR BYRD’S MOTHER.
THE CHARACTERS IN THE BOOK ARE IDENTIFIED AS MR. HERBST A NEWSPAPER PUBLISHER, COMMANDER CHRISTOPHER ROBIN, A JUNIOR LEAGUE GIRL, MISS SVENSON AND THE SHIP “LIZZIE BORDEN” TO ANTARICA.
THE AUTHOR, WOLCOTT GIBBS WAS A WELL KNOWN HUMORIST, PARADIST, DRAMA CRITIC AND SHORT STORY WRITER FOR THE “NEW YORKER” MAGAZINE FROM 1927 UNTIL THIS DEATH IN 1958. HE WAS ALSO A COUSIN OF NOVELIST EDNA FERBER.
THE ILLUSTRATORS BRUTON & BRUTON ARE HELEN AND ESTHER BRUTON WHO WERE BEST KNOWN FOR THEIR WPA MURALS IN CALIFORNIA AND TERRA COTTA TILE WORK IN VARIOUS PUBLIC BUILDINGS INCLUDING THE ZOO IN SAN FRANCISCO. HELEN BRUTON WAS EMPLOYED BY GLADDING MCBEAN TILE WORKS IN CALIFORNIA AS A DESIGNER.
THE SISTERS HAD MOVED TO NEW YORK TO TRY THEIR HAND AT ILLUSTRATING FOR SOME NEW YORK PUBLISHERS. THEY DID WORK FOR THE “FORUM” MAGAZINE AS WELL AS SOME BOOK PUBLISHERS. DUE TO THE HARDSHIPS OF THE DEPRESSION IN NEW YORK, THEY SOON MOVED BACK TO CALIFORNIA TO PURSUE THEIR CAREERS THERE. A THIRD SISTER MARGARET WAS ALSO AN ARTIST.
There are several available on both abebooks and bookfinder. Most are without a dustjacket, so if you are planning to add this to your collection and wish the book to increase in value, you should invest in a very fine copy with a unmarked dustjacket. Happy hunting!
