Michael McCurdy – illustratör

Six of Poe’s most macabre tales are presented in this powerfully illustrated edition that comes with an unabridged CD narration of four of the shorter tales. The classic tales included on the 75 minute CD and read by Edward Blake are “The Masque of the Red Death,” “The Black Cat,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” and “The Cask of Amontillado.” The two longer tales in the collection are the heart-stopping “The Pit and the Pendulum” and the chilling “The Fall of the House of Usher.” In addition to his striking woodcut-type illustrations, Michael McCurdy has written fascinating headnotes about the origin of each tale and an introduction about Poe.From the Hardcover edition.

The perfect addition to every family’s home library and just right for sharing aloud, American Tall Tales introduces readers to America’s first folk heroes in nine wildly exaggerated and downright funny stories.   Here are Paul Bunyan, that king-sized lumberjack who could fell “ten white pines with a single swing”; John Henry, with his mighty hammer; Mose, old New York’s biggest, bravest fireman; Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind, who could “outgrin, outsnort, outrun, outlift, outsneeze, outsleep, outlie any varmint”; and other uniquely American characters, together in one superb collection.   In the tradition of the original nineteenth-century storytellers, Mary Pope Osborne compiles, edits, and adds her own two cents’ worth—and also supplies fascinating historical headnotes. Michael McCurdy’s robust colored wood engravings recall an earlier time, perfectly capturing all the vitality of the men and women who carved a new country out of the North American wilderness.

From the Hardcover edition.

An unforgettable tale of love and repression, appearing in book form for the first time. Beautifully produced and hauntingly illustrated, this unknown work by Iris Murdoch (1918-1999) is something very special indeed. Previously unpublished but for an excerpt in a 1950s anthology, this is a bittersweet, haunting story. Yvonne, an ordinary, bold young Irish woman, believes that there's more to life than marriage to Sam, the dutiful Jewish lad who is courting her. Set in Dublin, against the vividly recognizable backdrop of the author's native city in the 1950s, Something Special is written with a wry humor and penetrating insight that evokes the psychological tension of James Joyce's "The Dead." Gorgeously illustrated with line drawings by the renowned American artist Michael McCurdy, Something Special is a perfect gift for all occasions, but especially for anyone in love.

This study explores the dualities that inform the entire body of Flannery O'Connor's fiction. From the almost unredeemable world of Wise Blood to the climactic moments of revelation that infuse The Violent Bear It Away and Everything That Rises Must Converge, O'Connor's novels and stories wrestle with extremes of faith and reason, acceptance and revolt; they arch between cool narrative and explosive action, between a sacramental vision and a primary intuition of reality.

The story of the ten-year-old boy who becomes captain of a ship After his mother’s death, young David Glasgow Farragut is forced to leave home to live with Captain Porter and his wife. During the War of 1812, Captain Porter is posted to the Essex, and he chooses to bring David with him to fight the British Navy. At ten years old, David is the youngest midshipman ever assigned to a warship in the US Navy. On board, Farragut must not only learn about life at sea, he must establish his authority over seamen twice his age.   Farragut proves his worth as the Essex first sails the Atlantic and then travels “around the Horn” to the Pacific, where it engages in battle. After taking control of a captured ship near Valparaíso, Chile, Farragut, only twelve years old, is assigned his first position as full captain and given the captain’s sword he has coveted from the start.   Told through fictional letters that Farragut wrote to his father from prison after his capture, Take Command, Captain Farragut! gives young readers an extraordinary view into the life of an adventurer who today would be a classmate.

Take your children back to 1910 for an old-fashioned New England summer in the country, complete with a July Fourth parade.Poet laureate Donald Hall (author of The Ox-Cart Man and other classics of country life) grew up spending his summers on his grandfather’s farm in rural New Hampshire. It was there he milked cows, raised sheep, and heard stories about the past that are brought to life in this read-aloud picture book for young children.In that long-ago time, the biggest celebration of the year was the July Fourth celebration in Danbury, New Hampshire—complete with flags, marching bands, speeches, and ice cream. A trip to Boston, where toys could be bought for a penny apiece, was a major event. This is a piece of Americana that will bring readers—and listeners—back to a simpler time when pleasure came from making as much as buying, where politics were truly local, and when worth was determined by character, not price.Published in the same format and with the same delightful handcolored scratchboard illustrations by Michael McCurdy as Donald Hall’s Lucy’s Christmas, this is a wonderful way to share old-time summer traditions and history with your child.

'A book for children from 8 to 80. I love the humanity of this story and how one man's efforts can change the future for so many.' Michael Morpurgo, Independent '[This] simple classic may just hold the secret to meaningful existence.' Richard Powers, author of The Overstory The Man Who Planted Trees was first published by Chelsea Green twenty years ago and it became a timeless classic. Now this beautiful gift edition is available for the first time in the UK, complete with reproductions of the original woodcut engravings.In this ageless eco-fable about what one person can do to restore the earth, Elze ard Bouffier spends his life planting one hundred acorns a day in a desolate, barren section of Provence in the south of France. The result is a total transformation of the landscape - from one devoid of life, with miserable, contentious inhabitants, to one filled with the scent of flowers, the songs of birds and fresh, flowing water.Since our first publication, The Man Who Planted Trees has sold over a quarter of a million copies and inspired countless numbers of people around the world to take action and plant trees.This edition includes a foreword by Wangari Maathai, winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize and founder of the African Green Belt Movement. 'It has given me much joy to reread this story.' Wendell Berry

La infancia recuperada de esta novela es el lugar del que Harry Crews se marchó a los diecisiete años con idea de no volver. No la miserable cabaña de arrendatarios en la que siendo apenas un bebé amaneció un buen día junto a su padre muerto, ni siquiera aquella cama en la que se pasó tentido buena parte de su infancia soñando con huir al mundo idílico y sin cicatrices que se anunciaba en las páginas satinadas de los catálogos de Sears, sino todo el condado de Bacon, con sus gentes y sus historias. Sobre todo sus historias. Historias de alambiques ilegales escondidos en mitad de la espesura, de viejas rencillas sangrientas, de serpientes que hablan, de pájaros que pueden poseer el alma de un niño, de predicadores delirantes y hechiceras que espantan a los espíritus... Y es que en el condado de Bacon todo el mundo cuenta historias. Las historias lo son todo y todo son historias. Contar historias es su manera de sobrevivir y de comprenderse. Nada muere si hay historias. Todo, tanto lo bueno como lo malo, se incorpora y se traspasa de una generación a la siguiente y son quienes cargan con ese legado los que acaban por darle forma y color. A lo largo de estas páginas el autor de "El Cantante de Gospel" intenta regresar al territorio delimitado por las historias que configuraron su infancia para descubrir que de aquel lugar del que, como el viejo Huckleberry Finn, siempre quiso huir, por muy lejos que le llevarían sus futuros vagabundeos, nunca logró marcharse.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz remains one of the world's most widely-read books. Throughout a century of remarkable change, L. Frank Baum's classic tale has been embraced by generations of children and the young at heart. This special anniversary edition combines Baum's original text with the contributions of two artists: book illustrator Michael McCurdy and writer Ray Bradbury.

Because almost every important figure in America's literary history passed through the Berkshires, this anthology illustrates the connections, affections, prejudices and strong opinions which united and divided our literary lights. Richard Nunley has lived in the Berkshires since 1957. He is a poet, a columnist for The Berkshire Eagle and a professor of English at Berkshire Community College. Michael McCurdy is an artist, illustrator, and author. His wood engravings have appeared in many books for both adults and children.