From the 1909 Stevenson book. All text hand-lettered by WAD.

Another from the 1909 Stevenson book. Decorated initial and hand-lettering by WAD.

Another page from the 1909 Stevenson book. Decorated initial and hand-lettering by WAD. (Posting early as we will be away all day.)

Another page from the 1909 Stevenson book. Decorated initial and hand-lettering by WAD. (Posting early as we will be away all day.)

Another interior page (margins trimmed) from the Robert Louis Stevenson book, with decorated initial and hand-lettering by WAD. Printed letterpress, from photo-engravings, for the Canterbury Company. 1909.

Yesterday was World Book Day. In honor of that, here are some spines from my collection of WAD-designed books. Lettered and decorated by hand. Oriented for easy browsing on the shelf, to avoid tilting one’s head to read the titles whenever possible.

Yesterday was World Book Day. In honor of that, here are some spines from my collection of WAD-designed books. Lettered and decorated by hand. Oriented for easy browsing on the shelf, to avoid tilting one’s head to read the titles whenever possible.

An interior page (margins trimmed) from the Robert Louis Stevenson book handlettered by WAD. Printed letterpress, from photo-engravings. 1909.

Title page for a book entirely lettered by WAD for E. O. Grover’s Canterbury Company. Grover was a frequent patron in WAD’s early years, but I dislike that he would withhold payment until WAD sent him some kind of drawing pleading for funds.

Another of my greatest favorites from this period. Updike’s Merrymount Press printed lots of sheet music, so WAD made many gorgeous drawings for these projects. This one from 1909. His lettering, too, of course.

“The Sea-Fight” — another of WAD’s woodblock prints from around 1907. Note the chop at lower left. I feel very fortunate to have a copy of this in my collection, but when I found it twenty-five years ago, I did pay a bit more than the original 50¢ price!

In the period 1906–08, WAD began to experiment with woodblock prints, which he sold from the Hingham studio for fifty cents.

Here’s a map drawn by WAD for “Youth’s Companion” magazine, 1907. There’s so much in this landscape that energized him as a young reader, and then influenced his own tales about the imaginary land and peoples of Athalinthia, written between 1910 and mid-1920s.

Drawings and lettering by WAD for D. B. Updike’s Merrymount Press, 1909.

WAD illustration and lettering for “Christmas Builders” (Crowell, 1909, printed by D. B. Updike’s Merrymount Press). Quite the cap M there . . .

Endpapers for “Christmas Builders.” All art by Dwiggins. Printed at D. B. Updike’s Merrymount Press for Thomas Crowell, 1909.

Cover art by WAD for a book printed at D. B. Updike’s Merrymount Press, 1909.

From the distant vantage point of 115 years, this seems to be a joint effort of Amy Sacker (illustration) and Dwiggins (lettering). The job is listed in WAD’s 1909 work journal, but the illustration is clearly signed with Sacker’s chop. A lovely cover for Houghton Mifflin.