What was this surreal children's book with Peter Stuyvesant?
January 26, 2023 7:51 PM Subscribe
When I was a kid in the 80s/90s, I found a strange book in the library. I remember it having few words, a surreal (or non-existent?) plot and having black and white woodcut or heavy geometric pen/ink illustrations. The only illustration I remember clearly had a head and shoulders portrait of Peter Stuyvesant (who I had never heard of before) which was reproduced 3 or 4 times smaller and smaller in different rotations, so it looked like he was shrinking as he tumbled across the page.
I don't think the book was primarily about Peter Stuyvesant. The book was in the childrens' early chapter book section but it was so weird and un-chapter-book-like that I wondered if it was in the wrong place. I have the sense that it was published in the 60s or 70s, but I'm not sure. Any or all of these details might be wrong. Did this book exist or did I dream it?
I don't think the book was primarily about Peter Stuyvesant. The book was in the childrens' early chapter book section but it was so weird and un-chapter-book-like that I wondered if it was in the wrong place. I have the sense that it was published in the 60s or 70s, but I'm not sure. Any or all of these details might be wrong. Did this book exist or did I dream it?
Response by poster: Wow Mchelly, that has got to be it! The guy on the cover looks very familiar. I'm going to buy a copy.
Also, another Previously. As a long-time AskMefi reader and connoisseur of book ID questions, I can't believe I didn't see either of those (or that they didn't ring any bells?).
That and the fact that I've not seen any mention of this book for 25 or 30 years is contributing to my feeling that there is not something entirely of this earth about it, that it slips in and out of existence. I'm glad I ran into this in the early chapter books, when I was young enough to find its weirdness rivetingly unsettling instead of just amusing. I hope seeing it in person again doesn't break the spell!
posted by fussbudget at 8:46 PM on January 27, 2023 [3 favorites]
Also, another Previously. As a long-time AskMefi reader and connoisseur of book ID questions, I can't believe I didn't see either of those (or that they didn't ring any bells?).
That and the fact that I've not seen any mention of this book for 25 or 30 years is contributing to my feeling that there is not something entirely of this earth about it, that it slips in and out of existence. I'm glad I ran into this in the early chapter books, when I was young enough to find its weirdness rivetingly unsettling instead of just amusing. I hope seeing it in person again doesn't break the spell!
posted by fussbudget at 8:46 PM on January 27, 2023 [3 favorites]
You should definitely get a copy, because it’s a fantastic book and every home should own one. But I would urge you to go out of your way to find one in an unwritten-in condition, because there is a maze in the book, and if you get the book and someone has solved the maze before you get to it, it will be a tragedy.
posted by Mchelly at 3:08 PM on January 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Mchelly at 3:08 PM on January 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
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posted by Mchelly at 10:57 AM on January 27, 2023 [2 favorites]