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“But, luckily, he kept his wits and his purple crayon.”
— Harold and the Purple Crayon (1955)
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.
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 will collect 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 will collect 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.
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 will collect 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 will collect 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.
All of Johnson’s text and artwork is © by the Ruth Krauss Foundation. The rest of these pages are © 1998-2022 by Philip Nel.
