Woody Guthrie Art works

Brower (a graphic designer and writer) and Nora Guthrie (Woody's daughter and director of the Woody Guthrie Archives) have pulled together a healthy sampling (300 reproductions, most with brief captions) of Guthrie's enormous illustrated output. Most famous for his songs, including "This Land Is Your Land," Guthrie actually started early in life as an artist. Brower and Guthrie present Guthrie's artistic work in rough chronological order, including brief biographical and background information and details about Guthrie's changing artistic style and intent. Their book highlights the fact that Guthrie was a highly creative and complex individual. Those looking for a full biography of Guthrie will want to read Ed Cray's Ramblin' Man (CH, Jul'04, 41-6431) and the fascinating essays in Hard Travelin': The Life and Legacy of Woody Guthrie, ed. by Robert Santelli and Emily Davidson (CH, Jul'00, 37-6184). ^BSumming Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers. R. D. Cohen emeritus, Indiana University Northwest

Hundreds of folk legend Guthrie's artworks were discovered by daughter Nora in 1992, and although his artistic endeavors were no secret, this recovered treasure, which includes cartoons, posters, sketches, and watercolors, provides a grand opportunity to look into the mind and heart of an American icon. A small sampling of Guthrie's work appeared in his 1995 autobiography, Bound for Glory, but this volume, with excellent and insightful essays by graphic designer, writer, and visual arts teacher Brower, is a major contribution. There is no evidence that Guthrie ever received formal art training, but he coupled a keen eye for life with a political cartoonist's sharp-nibbed pen and always expressed himself with the touch of wit, bite of irony, and warmth of emotion that pervaded his musical opus. Personal notebooks, records of thoughts and images, penetrating cartoons, sketches of family and friends, and more enliven the pages of this remarkable book. Everyone would benefit from a look into these pages! Highly recommended for visual arts collections, music collections, and collections dealing with the social and political history of the mid-20th century and for large academic and public libraries generally.-Paula Frosch, Metropolitan Museum of Art Lib., New York (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.