CLRC-64 Ellen Raskin Papers Christina Cowan and Sharlene Murphy University of Minnesota Libraries 08/1996, 11/2004

University of Minnesota Libraries Minneapolis, MN 55455

EAD 2002 Validated Finding Aid generated with the aid of a custom FileMaker Pro database developed by the staff of the Children's Literature Research Collections, University of Minnesota Libraries. Many thanks to all the staff and volunteers. 08/1996, 11/2004 Description is in English Summary Information University of Minnesota Libraries Children's Literature Research Collections [clrc] Raskin, Ellen Ellen Raskin Papers 1961-1975 CLRC-64 Ellen Raskin's papers focus on her work as an author and illustrator of children's and young adult books. The collection contains production material for forty-one titles published between 1961 and 1975. It includes typescripts and holographs, front matter, galley proofs, notes and research material, a small amount of correspondence, layouts, illustrations done in a variety of media many with separations and type proof, studies and sketches, dummies, photocopies, and proofs. There is also some miscellaneous art that includes illustrations and studies, proofs, hand printed calendars and business cards, a button and flyer, posters, and illustrations for the New York Times Tourist Calendars, and some award certificates. 1.3 linear ft, 9.9 cu ft See Detailed Descriptions for Each Title Item for Box Locations English Important Information for Users of the Collections Access and Use:

Collection is open for researchers with no restrictions. Registration with the collection is required.

This collection is protected by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S. Code). It is the user's responsibility to verify copyright ownership and to obtain all necessary permissions prior to the reproduction, publication, or other use of any portion of these materials.

Processing Information

This collection was processed with financial assistance from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Biographical Sketch

Ellen Raskin was born on March 13, 1928 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She attended the University of Wisconsin at Madison from 1945 to 1949, and during the 1950s worked as a commercial illustrator and designer. Ellen Raskin illustrated her first book, Happy Christmas, edited by Claire Huchet Bishop, in 1956, and throughout her career illustrated both adult and juvenile books, with an emphasis on the latter. Ellen Raskin illustrated works by other authors on a variety of topics including poetry, mathematics, science, and some works of biographical and historical fiction. She published her first work for children Nothing Ever Happens on My Block in 1966. Noted as an artist of "versatility and charm who specialized in visual puzzles, " Ellen Raskin's stories also demonstrate her wit and ability to entertain her readers. She received a Newbery Honor citation for Figgs and Phantoms in 1975, the story of the experiences of the Figg Family after they leave show business. She also wrote complex mystery stories such as The Westing Game, the 1979 Newbery Award winner, and The Mysterious Disappearance of Leon (I Mean Noel). Ellen Raskin wrote both fiction and verse, and many of her works contain references to sight and the importance of being able to see clearly but to never let go of one's imagination since a lack of imagination is a far worse lack of vision than nearsightedness. Ellen Raskin died on August 8, 1984.

Scope and Content

The collection contains production material for forty-one titles published between 1961 and 1975, and includes both manuscript and illustrative material, with some illustrative material for adult titles. The collection includes holographs and typescripts, galley proofs, notes and research material, a small amount of correspondence, layouts, illustrations done in a variety of media many with separations and type proofs, hand printed calendars and business cards, a button and flyer, posters, and illustrations for the New York Times Tourist Calendars, and some award certificates.

Indexing Terms

The collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the University of Minnesota Libraries. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Raskin, Ellen Accession Information:

This collection was placed on permanent loan at the Children's Literature Research Collection by Ellen Raskin in several installments beginning in 1968 and continuing throughout the 1970s. Additional material was given to the Collection by Ellen Raskin's estate in 1985.

Gift of: Raskin, Ellen

Arrangement

A and the, Or, William T.C. Baumgarten Comes to Town, 1970

And It Rained, 1969

Awards,

Books: A Book to Begin On, 1968

Bronze Bow, The, 1961

Carpenter's Son, The, 1967

Circles and Curves, 1968

Come Along!, 1969

D.H. Lawrence: Poems Selected for Young People, 1967

Duet: The Story of Clara and Robert Schumann, 1968

Ellen Grace, 1967

Figgs and Phantoms, 1974

Franklin Stein, 1972

Ghost in a Four-Room Apartment, 1969

Goblin Market, 1970

Inatuk's Friend, 1968

Jewish Sabbath, The, 1966

King of Men, The, 1966

Lady Ellen Grae, 1968

Mama, I Wish I was Snow; Child You'd Be Very Cold, 1962

Miscellaneous Art,

Moe Q. McGlutch, He Smoked Too Much, 1973

Moose, Goose and Little Nobody, 1974

Mysterious Disappearance of Leon (I Mean Noel), 1971

Paper Zoo, A: A Collection of Animal Poems by Modern American Poets, 1968

People in Palestine, 1965

Poems [of Robert Herrick], 1967

Poems of Edgar Allan Poe, 1965

Probability: The Science of Chance, 1964

Question of Accuracy, A, 1964

Saint Rita: Patron Saint of Desperate Causes, 1962

Shrieks at Midnight: Macabre Poems, Eerie and Humorous, 1969

Silly Songs and Sad, 1967

Song of Innocence, 1966

Spectacles, 1968

Symmetry, 1968

Tattooed Potato and Other Clues, 1975

This is 4: The Idea of a Number, 1964

Three and the Shape of Three, 1969

We Alcotts: The Story of Louisa M. Alcott's Family As Seen Through the Eyes of "Marmee", mother of Little Women, 1968

We Dickinsons: The Life of Emily Dickinson As Seen Through the Eyes of Her Brother Austin, 1965

Who Said, Sue, Said Whoo?, 1973

World's Greatest Freak Show, The, 1971

Collection Contents A and the, Or, William T.C. Baumgarten Comes to Town 1970 MC 455 ink illustration w/ type proof and 4 separations for jacket 1 p. MC 455 ink illustration for cover 1 p. MC 455 ink illustrations w/ type proof and 4 separations 3 p. MC 455 ink illustrations w/ type proof and 3 separations 5 p. MC 455 ink illustrations w/ 3 separations 6 p. MC 455 ink illustration w/ type proof and 2 separations 1 p. MC 455 ink illustration w/ type proof and 1 separation 1 p. MC 455 printer's proof 1 p. And It Rained 1969 MF 1217 typescript, corrected 25 p. MC 458 ink dummy 48 p. MC 458 felt pen and ink dummy w/ typescript 48 p. MC 458 colored film, felt pen and ink dummy 48 p. MC 458 ink illustrations w/ type proof and 2 separations 17 p. MC 458 ink layout studies 5 p. MC 458 ink studies 27 p. MC 458 research material 1 p. Awards MC 480 award certificates 23 p. Books: A Book to Begin On 1968 MC 455 felt, pen, ink, pencil and tempera dummy w/ type proof 52 p. MC 455 ink illustration for jacket 1 p. MC 455 ink illustration w/ 1 separation 5 p. MC 455 ink illustration 8 p. MC 455 reproduction w/ ink correction and 1 separation 3 p. MC 455 reproductions w/ ink corrections 13 p. Bronze Bow, The 1961 MC 480 ink illustration w/ 2 separations for jacket 1 p. MC 480 ink study for jacket 1 p. MC 480 correspondence 1 p. Carpenter's Son, The 1967 MC 480 ink illustration w/ proof text paste-up and 3 separations for jacket 1 p. Circles and Curves 1968 MC 457 felt pen and ink dummy w/ type proof 45 p. MC 457 ink illustration w/ type proof and 3 separations for jacket 1 p. MC 457 ink illustration for endpapers 1 p. MC 457 ink illustrations w/ type proof and 1 separation 15 p. Come Along! 1969 MC 453 pencil dummy w/ type proof 32 p. MC 453 acrylic illustration w/ type proof for jacket 1 p. MC 453 ink illustration for cover 1 p. MC 453 acrylic illustrations 2 p. D.H. Lawrence: Poems Selected for Young People 1967 MC 448 ink illustration w/ type proof for jacket 1 p. MC 448 ink illustrations 33 p. MC 448 proof of jacket 1 p. Duet: The Story of Clara and Robert Schumann 1968 MC 480 ink illustration w/ text proof paste-up and 2 separations for jacket 1 p. Ellen Grace 1967 MC 964 pencil and ink illustrations 5 p. Figgs and Phantoms 1974 MF 667 typescript, corrected 110 p. MF 667 typescript, corrected 193 p. MF 667 w/ front matter 6 p. MF 667 typescript, corrected 32 p. MF 667 typescript, corrected photocopy 17 p. MF 667 galley proof, corrected 65 p. MF 667 galley proof, corrected photocopy 6 p. MF 667 page proof w/ layout notes 3 p. MF 667 correspondence 1 p. MF 667 notes 15 p. MC 996 ink and pencil illustration w/ type proof for jacket 1 p. MC 996 ink and pencil illustration w/ type proof 2 p. MC 996 sheets ink illustrations w/ type proof 3 p. MC 996 calligraphy illustration 5 p. MC 996 ink and pencil illustrations 2 p. MC 996 felt pen study for jacket 1 p. MC 996 ink and pencil study 1 p. MC 996 ink calligraph studies 2 p. MC 996 pencil studies 5 p. MC 996 sheet ink and pencil studies 1 p. MC 996 pencil studies 2 p. MC 996 layouts 20 p. MC 996 jacket proofs 4 p. MC 996 layout proofs 2 p. MC 996 layout proof 1 p. MC 996 photocopies 18 p. Franklin Stein 1972 MF 667 typescript, part holograph, corrected 18 p. MF 667 typescript, corrected 15 p. MF 667 galley proof 14 p. MF 667 notes 3 p. MF 667 layout 2 p. MC 75 ink and watercolor illustrator's dummy w/ typescript 32 p. MC 75 ink and watercolor study for jacket 1 p. MC 75 ink and watercolor studies 12 p. MC 75 craps and ink study 1 p. MC 75 ink and watercolor illustration layouts 4 p. MC 75 ink illustration with 3 separations 1 p. MC 75 ink illustrations with 3 separations 15 p. MC 75 ink illustrations with 2 separations 3 p. MC 75 ink illustration 1 p. MC 75 color separation 1 p. MC 75 sheets of ink sketches 85 p. MC 75 pencil sketches 2 p. MC 75 ink illustration layouts 7 p. MC 75 ink illustration layouts 26 p. MC 75 layout 7 p. MC 75 publisher's dummy w/ correction 1 p. MC 75 sheets of illustration proof 6 p. MC 75 proof for jacket 1 p. MC 75 notes 1 p. MC 75 correspondence 1 p. MC 75 photocopy of illustration 1 p. Ghost in a Four-Room Apartment 1969 MF 1217 typescript, corrected 22 p. MF 1217 w/ front matter, corrected 3 p. MF 1217 galley proof, corrected 6 p. MC 460 colored film, ink and tempera dummy 20 p. MC 460 ink illustration w/ type proof and 4 separations for jacket 1 p. MC 460 ink illustrations w/ 5 separations 7 p. MC 460 ink illustrations w/ 4 separations 2 p. MC 460 ink illustrations w/ type proof and 3 separations 5 p. MC 460 ink illustrations w/ type proof and 2 separations 7 p. MC 460 ink illustration w/ type proof 1 p. MC 460 ink illustrations 2 p. MC 460 set of 4 separations 1 p. Goblin Market 1970 MF 1217 typescript, corrected 29 p. MF 1217 w/ front matter 6 p. MF 1217 typescript, corrected [for afterward] 7 p. MF 1217 galley proof, corrected 9 p. MC 459 ink, pastel and watercolor dummy 1 p. MC 459 ink, pastel and watercolor illustrations w/ type proof 4 p. MC 459 ink, pastel and watercolor illustration 1 p. MC 459 sheets of ink studies 50 p. MC 459 pencil studies 13 p. MC 459 proof dummy 36 p. MC 459 proof 20 p. MC 459 notes 3 p. Inatuk's Friend 1968 MC 448 proof dummy 48 p. Jewish Sabbath, The 1966 MC 454 ink illustration w/ type proof and 2 separations for jacket 1 p. MC 454 ink illustration w/ type proof and 2 separations 14 p. MC 454 ink illustration w/ 2 separations 6 p. MC 454 ink illustrations w/ type proof and 1 separation 4 p. King of Men, The 1966 MC 480 ink illustration w/ text proof paste-up and 3 separations for jacket 1 p. MC 480 ink illustration 1 p. Lady Ellen Grae 1968 MC 448 pencil and ink illustration w/ 4 separations for jacket 1 p. MC 448 pencil and ink illustrations 5 p. MC 448 pencil, ink and tempera study for jacket 1 p. Mama, I Wish I was Snow; Child You'd Be Very Cold 1962 MC 996 woodcut illustrations w/ text proof and 1 separation 11 p. MC 996 woodcut illustration w/ text proof 1 p. MC 996 proof dummy 1 p. Miscellaneous Art MC 480 hand printed calendars/business cards 15 p. MC 480 ink illustration w/ 3 separations for personal invitation 1 p. MC 480 button and 1 flyer for the Milwaukee County Federated Library System 1 p. MC 480 proofs for jackets 100 p. MC 480 proofs for advertisements 3 p. MC 480 poster for Books Week, November 17-23, 1968 1 p. MC 480 ink illustration w/ 1 separation for jacket of adult book 1 p. MC 480 ink illustrations w/ text proof paste-up for jackets of adult books 15 p. MC 480 tempera illustration for jacket of adult book 1 p. MC 480 ink illustration 3 p. MC 480 proofs for jacket 3 p. MC 481 ink illustrations for the New York Times Tourist Calendars 10 p. MC 481 ink studies 3 p. MC 481 poster 1 p. Moe Q. McGlutch, He Smoked Too Much 1973 MF 1217 holograph 5 p. MF 1217 holograph and typescript, corrected 44 p. MF 1217 typescript, partial carbon, corrected 37 p. MF 1217 typescript, partial carbon, corrected 30 p. MF 1217 typescript, corrected carbon 37 p. MF 1217 galley proof, corrected 3 p. MF 1217 proof sheets for front matter, corrected 3 p. MF 1217 notes 5 p. MC 453-454 felt pen, ink and watercolor dummy w/ typescript 44 p. MC 453-454 felt pen, ink and watercolor dummy w/ typescript 38 p. MC 453-454 felt pen and ink dummy w/ typescript 28 p. MC 453-454 felt pen, ink and watercolor illustration w/ type proof for jacket 1 p. MC 453-454 felt pen and watercolor illustration for endpapers 1 p. MC 453-454 felt pen, ink and watercolor illustrations 19 p. MC 453-454 ink and watercolor study for jacket 1 p. MC 453-454 felt pen study for endpapers 1 p. MC 453-454 chalk, ink and watercolor studies 17 p. MC 453-454 felt pen, ink and watercolor studies w/ typescript 5 p. MC 453-454 felt pen, ink and watercolor studies 25 p. MC 453-454 chalk and ink studies 37 p. MC 453-454 ink studies 33 p. MC 453-454 pencil studies 24 p. MC 453-454 watercolor study 1 p. MC 453-454 illustration proof 1 p. Moose, Goose and Little Nobody 1974 MF 1217 typescript, corrected 14 p. MF 1217 galley proof, corrected 5 p. MF 1217 notes 6 p. MC 455 felt pen and ink dummy 34 p. MC 455 felt pen, ink and pencil dummy 32 p. MC 455 felt pen and ink dummy 30 p. MC 455 ink illustration w/ type proof 1 p. MC 455 felt pen and ink studies 22 p. MC 455 ink and watercolor studies 10 p. MC 455 ink studies 29 p. MC 455 pencil layout studies 3 p. MC 455 layout specification for jacket 1 p. MC 455 sheet proof 1 p. Mysterious Disappearance of Leon (I Mean Noel) 1971 MC 453 ink illustrations 4 p. Paper Zoo, A: A Collection of Animal Poems by Modern American Poets 1968 MC 458 felt pen and pencil dummy 40 p. MC 458 felt pen and ink dummy 42 p. MC 458 ink illustrations w/ type proof paste-up 15 p. People in Palestine 1965 MC 480 ink illustration w/ 3 separations for jacket 1 p. MC 480 ink and tempera study for jacket 1 p. MC 480 book jacket 1 p. Poems [of Robert Herrick] 1967 MC 448 ink illustration w/ type proof and 1 separation for jacket 1 p. MC 448 ink illustrations 8 p. MC 448 ink study for jacket 1 p. Poems of Edgar Allan Poe 1965 MC 448 ink illustration 1 p. MC 448 ink illustrations on 3 boards 6 p. Probability: The Science of Chance 1964 MC 457 ink illustration w/ type proof and 2 separations for jacket 1 p. MC 457 ink illustrations w/ type proof and 1 separation 15 p. MC 457 sheet proof for endpapers 1 p. Question of Accuracy, A 1964 MC 457 ink illustration w/ type proof and 2 separation for jacket 1 p. MC 457 ink illustrations w/ type proof and 1 separation 16 p. MC 457 ink illustrations 3 p. MC 457 sheet proof for endpapers 1 p. Saint Rita: Patron Saint of Desperate Causes 1962 MC 480 ink illustration w/ text proof paste-up for jacket 1 p. MC 480 proof for jacket 1 p. Shrieks at Midnight: Macabre Poems, Eerie and Humorous 1969 MC 964 ink illustration w/ 2 separation 1 p. MC 964 ink illustrations w/ 1 separation 11 p. Silly Songs and Sad 1967 MC 964 ink and watercolor dummy w/ typescript 40 p. MC 964 watercolor and reproduced art dummy 48 p. MC 964 ink illustration w/ type proof an 4 separations for jacket 1 p. MC 964 ink illustrations w/ type proof and 3 separations 3 p. MC 964 ink illustrations w/ type proof and 1 separation 2 p. MC 964 ink illustration w/ type proof 1 p. MC 964 ink illustration 1 p. MC 964 printer's proof w/ 2 covers and 2 jackets 1 p. Song of Innocence 1966 MC 474 crayon, pencil and watercolor dummy 48 p. MC 474 ink and tempera dummy 18 p. MC 474 ink and pencil dummy of music w/ typescript paste-up 74 p. MC 474 ink illustrations w/ text proof paste-up and 4 separations for cover of 2 volume set 2 p. MC 474 ink illustrations w/ text proof paste-up and 4 separations for jacket 2 p. MC 474 ink illustrations w/ text proof paste-up and 5 separation 2 p. MC 474 ink illustrations w/ text proof paste-up and 4 separations 15 p. MC 474 ink illustrations w/ text proof paste-up and 3 separations 19 p. MC 474 ink illustrations w/ text proof paste-up 7 p. MC 474 illustrations of text proof paste-up 6 p. MC 474 ink and watercolor studies 3 p. MC 474 proof for jacket w/ corrections 1 p. MC 474 proofs for jackets 4 p. MC 474 proof of music w/ typescript paste-up 30 p. MC 474 notes 34 p. MC 474 correspondence 3 p. Spectacles 1968 MC 454 ink illustration w/ type proof for jacket 1 p. MC 454 ink illustrations w/ type proof 4 p. MC 454 ink illustrations 2 p. MC 454 proof for jacket 1 p. MC 454 dummy proofs 3 p. MC 454 incomplete dummy proof 1 p. Symmetry 1968 MC 457 ink illustrations w/ type proof and 1 separation 11 p. MC 457 proof for endpapers 1 p. Tattooed Potato and Other Clues 1975 MF 1216 typescript [1st draft], corrected 158 p. MF 1216 typescript [2nd draft], corrected 202 p. MF 1216 typescript, corrected 182 p. MF 1216 w/ front matter, corrected 6 p. MF 1216 galley proof, corrected 71 p. MF 1216 galley proof, corrected photocopy 4 p. MF 1216 correspondence 3 p. MF 1216 research material 1 p. MC 455 ink illustration w/ 3 separations for jacket 1 p. MC 455 jacket proofs w/ letter 2 p. This is 4: The Idea of a Number 1964 MC 457 ink illustration w/ type proof and 2 separations for jacket 1 p. Three and the Shape of Three 1969 MC 457 ink illustration w/ type proof and 2 separations for jacket 1 p. MC 457 ink illustrations w/ type proof and 1 separation 9 p. We Alcotts: The Story of Louisa M. Alcott's Family As Seen Through the Eyes of "Marmee", mother of Little Women 1968 MC 453 ink illustration w/ text proof paste-up and 2 separations for jacket 1 p. MC 453 ink illustrations 2 p. We Dickinsons: The Life of Emily Dickinson As Seen Through the Eyes of Her Brother Austin 1965 MC 448 ink illustration 1 p. MC 448 ink and tempera study for cover 1 p. Who Said, Sue, Said Whoo? 1973 MF 1217 typescript, corrected 6 p. MF 1217 galley proof, corrected photocopy 1 p. MC 459 ink illustration for cover 1 p. MC 459 ink illustrations w/ 3 separations, 1 pastel separation and type proof 5 p. MC 459 ink and watercolor illustration w/ 1 pastel separation and type proof 1 p. MC 459 sets of 3 separations 2 p. MC 459 separation w/ 1 pastel separation 1 p. World's Greatest Freak Show, The 1971 MF 667 typescript, corrected [1st draft] 9 p. MF 667 typescript, corrected [2nd draft] 9 p. MF 667 typescript, corrected 8 p. MC 996 ink and watercolor dummy w/ text proof 32 p. MC 996 ink illustration w/ text proof and 3 separations for jacket 1 p. MC 996 ink illustrations w/ text proof and 3 separations for jacket 14 p. MC 996 ink illustration w/ text proof and 1 separation 1 p. MC 996 ink illustration w/ text proof 1 p. MC 996 sheet of ink and watercolor sketches 1 p. MC 996 sheet of ink sketches 1 p. MC 996 blueprint dummy 36 p. MC 996 sheet proof 1 p. MC 996 illustration proofs w/ watercolor 9 p. MC 996 miscellaneous 1 p. MC 996 ink illustration 1 p. MC 996 ink illustration [unused] 1 p.