Crockett Johnson – Philip Nel

Archived website: The Crockett Johnson Homepage

This is an archived site: For the latest news, see the posts tagged “Crockett Johnson” on my Nine Kinds of Pie blog.

“But, luckily, he kept his wits and his purple crayon.”
— Harold and the Purple Crayon (1955)

My book about Harold and the Purple Crayon

How to Draw the World: Harold and the Purple Crayon and the Making of a Children’s Classic (2024) is a biography of the book that inspired Prince to adopt purple as his signature color, Pulitzer-Prize-winning author Richard Powers to become a writer, and countless other creative people to become artists. Published by Oxford University Press in December 2024.

My biography of Crockett Johnson & Ruth Krauss
Crockett Johnson and Ruth Krauss: How an Unlikely Couple Found Love, Dodged the FBI, and Transformed Children’s Literature (2012) is the first and (thus far) sole biography of Johnson and Krauss. 88 illustrations. Cover by Chris Ware.

Front cover by Chris Ware for: Crockett Johnson and Ruth Krauss: How an Unlikely Couple Found Love, Dodged the FBI, and Transformed Children's Literature (forthcoming from UP Mississippi, Sept. 2012)

Barnaby Volume One: 1942-1943
In 2013, Fantagraphics published Barnaby Volume One: 1942-1943, which I co-edited with Eric Reynolds. It’s the first of a 5-volume series that collects all of Barnaby in its original run (1942-1952). Daniel Clowes designed the book, and it features essays from Chris Ware, Jeet Heer, Dorothy Parker, and me.

Barnaby Volume Two: 1944-1945
In 2014, Fantagraphics published Barnaby Volume Two: 1944-1945, which I co-edited with Eric Reynolds. It’s the second in our 5-volume series that collects all of Barnaby in its original run. Daniel Clowes designed the book, and it features essays from Jules Feiffer, R.C. Harvey, Max Lerner, and me.

Crockett Johnson's Barnaby Volume Two: 1944-1945, ed. Philip Nel & Eric Reynolds

Barnaby Volume Three: 1946-1947
In 2016, Fantagraphics published Barnaby Volume Three: 1946-1947, which I co-edited with Eric Reynolds. It’s the third in our 5-volume series that collects all of Barnaby in its original run. Daniel Clowes designed the book, and it features essays from Jeff Smith, Nathalie op de Beeck, Coulton Waugh, and me.

Barnaby Volume Four: 1948-1949
In 2020, Fantagraphics published Barnaby Volume Four: 1948-1949, which I co-edited with Eric Reynolds. It’s the fourth in our 5-volume series that collects all of Barnaby in its original run. Daniel Clowes designed the book, and it features essays from Trina Robbins, Jared Gardner, Stephen Becker, and me.

Barnaby Volume Five: 1950-1952
In 2025, Fantagraphics will publish Barnaby Volume Five: 1950-1952, which I co-edited with Eric Reynolds. It’s the final in our 5-volume series that collects all of Barnaby in its original run. Daniel Clowes designed the book, and it features essays from Ron Howard, Susan Kirtley, Crockett Johnson, and me.