Oeuvre d'art

Approximately 150 original pen & ink sketches and drawings by Berson for this children’s book manuscript featuring “Shrimp†i.e. Edwin Gladstone and friends including African-American athlete “Paul†smartest “Steve†biggest kid “John†and Mark with multiple stages of all of the panels for this juvenile title published in 1970 by H.Z. Walck; Together with: Miss Taylor loves soccer. Original carbon revised edit of typescript manuscript

1969 · 62962 — New York; Los Angeles CA & Bronx NY: Beman Lord 106 East 85th Harold Berson Dec. 1969. 8vo. Approx. 150 separate pen & ink drawings a few water-coloured apparently intended for possible frontisp. or dustjacket cover all laid-out with margins and blanks left for text to be inserted later during printing mock-ups all w/ neat pagination below some with editorial notes; 4to. 14 leaves carbon copy typescript editing corrections in pencil & ink further notes w/ original working title center fold crease from mailing all preserved in original manila mailing envelope with postmark dated Dec. 5 1969 in excellent condition and from the library of Harold Berson artist. This exceptional typescript manuscript and complete suite of original illustrations provide splendid specimens for children’s book publishing during the Civil Rights & Women’s Rights movements through the Vietnam-War era. Set against the backdrop of a new young woman teacher convincing her young students to embrace intramural soccer and set up a league with other nearby schools fielding teams of all genders and races. The title was changed to “Shrimp’s Soccer Goal†when published by H.Z. Walck in 1970 but evidently intended by Lord & Berson to focus on the impact of young Miss Taylor’s enthusiasm for soccer her admiration of Pele after traveling to Brazil to see him play and inspire her students to learn the sport. The young “Negro†character Paul the best athlete is best friends with “Shrimp†and they both belong to neighborhood club with three others with Steve encouraging the young people to become involved in social justice causes. In 1969-1970 the United States featured the newly created professional soccer league sanctioned by FIFA -- North American Soccer League whose most successful franchise was the New York Cosmos who later managed to recruit both Pele from Brazil and Franz Breckenbauer from West Germany to play for them. Berson 1926-1986 was born in Los Angeles served at the end of World War II and was an avid traveler. He graduated from UCLA with a BA in 1953 and spent most of the next two decades traveling in Europe studying art in Paris and then living in Spain France Italy Yugoslavia Turkey North Africa and after 1958 together with his fellow artist & wife Paula Winter Berson 1929-2003. His first illustrated book was “Loretta Mason Potts†by Mary Chase in 1958. He is perhaps best-remembered for his whimsical fairy tale creatures in his Henry Possum Mabel Watts’s “The King and the Whirlybird†“Mother Goose Treasury†“Raminagrobis and the Mice†“King Midas and the Golden Touch†and many others. Beman Lord, 106 East 85th, Harold Berson, unknown