| I am disgusted by Wikipedia's entry. Largely because I have been trying to find a book which I think is called Tales of a Persian Grandmother, and Wikipedia gives me only this: Further reading
I am not grateful that this Wikipedia entry offers me access to recent editions. I need a proper bibliography that gives me some sense of how Carpenter's mind was moving as she worked on these different projects. But, as always, the gifts the Internet has given don't really do anything for us unless someone takes the time to care. Wikipedia tells me this: "She wrote children's books and work about women artists." Okay. So where is the bibliography of books about the women artists? WHICH women artists? ******* It's a few hours later, and I have a few more ideas about Ms. Carpenter's writing: Frances Aretta Carpenter [1890 – 1972] First (and this is a minor note)--I don't think that the Frances Carpenter who I am interested in wrote the two schoolgirl novel's published by Blackie's in the UK: "The Rebel Schoolgirl" and "Judy of the Circus." Possible? Yes. Likely? No. Second...Wikipedia's entry (which is the best we have) totally sucks. Smith College's (& I'd hope someone there would care) is worse. Frances Carpenter lived an extraordinary life in travel and in writing. She graduated from Smith College in 1912, and spent the next eight years collaborating with her father, a noted travel writer, taking photographs and co-writing his books. She married, at thirty, William Chapin Huntington, a career diplomat with whom she traveled all over the world, both for his work--and for hers. They had two children. Frances, under her own name, continued to produce her books. She collected hundreds of folktales from around the world, producing a book a year out of these journeys from 1926 through 1969. And... what good books many of them were. These were folk tales that captured my youthful imagination and made me a reader. Imprinted vividly in my memory is a story about a Persian Princess who was transformed into a beautiful white cat by an evil sorcerer. She was rescued by her beloved--who rubbed her all over with a magic balm. But--he left one small, soft patch of beautiful white fur to remain one of her shoulders. Because--he wanted them to remember the travails they had suffered for their love, and to be grateful. Will the stories be as compelling as I remember? I don't know. But at the time and place in my life that I read them, they opened up my world. For many years, I had to work to convince myself that these books were not a figment of my imagination. Inter-Library loans were surprisingly unhelpful. But a decade or more passed, and searches on the Internet got stronger (also stranger, but that's another story). Finally, I found the first of the books. Frances's father died in 1924. It appears that her first books were efforts to complete his unfinished projects. But in 1928, she started producing work for the American Book Company, her father's publisher, in her own right. Tales of a Basque Grandmother, the first of her "Grandmother" books, appeared in 1930. From there forward, she lived for the next forty years an active writing life. I think I have reconstructed the majority of the publications on her booklist (see below). If she did any work on women artists, as Wikipedia claims... well, perhaps it was under her married name. I am still searching for Tales of a Persian Grandmother. Today, I have begun to convince myself that the story that I'm looking for is probably in Wonder Tales of Dogs & Cats, and my Persian Grandmother collection doesn't exist. But maybe it *is* out there. Here's hoping. |       |
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Frances Carpenter Bibliography
- Carpenter, Frank, & Carpenter, Frances. The Food We Eat: Journey Club Travels. New York: American Book Co., 1925.
- Carpenter, Frank, & Carpenter, Frances. The Clothes We Wear: Journey Club Travels. New York: American Book Co., 1926.
- Carpenter, Frank, & Carpenter, Frances. The Houses We Live In: Journey Club Travels. New York: American Book Co., 1928.
- Carpenter, Frances. Ourselves & Our City: Journey Club Travels. New York: American Book Co., 1928
- Carpenter, Frances. The Ways We Travel: Journey Club Travels. New York: American Book Co., 1929
- Carpenter, Frances. Tales of a Basque Grandmother, ill. Pedro Garmendia. New York: Junior Literary guild/Lippincott, 1930.
- Carpenter, Frances. Our Little Friends of Eskimo Land: Papik & Natsek, ill. Curtiss Sprague. New York: American Book Co., 1931.
- Carpenter, Frances. Tales of a Russian Grandmother. NY: Doubleday, Doran & Co. Inc, 1933.
- Carpenter, Frances. Our Little Friends of the Arabian Desert: Adi & Hamda, ill. Curtiss Sprague. New York: American Book Co., 1934.
- Carpenter, Frances, Our Little Friends of the Netherlands: Dirk & Dientje. New York: American Book Co., 1935.
- Carpenter, Frances, Our Little Friends of Norway: Ola & Marit. New York: American Book Co., 1936.
- Carpenter, Frances, Our Little Friends of China: Ah Hu and Ying Hwa, ill. Curtiss Sprague. New York: American Book Co., 1937.
- Carpenter, Frances. Tales of a Chinese Grandmother, ill. Malthe Hasselriis. NY: Doubleday, Doran & Co. Inc, 1937.
- Carpenter, Frances. Our Little Neighbors at Work & Play: Here, There, Then & Now. New York: American Book Co., 1939.
- Carpenter, Frances. Tales of a Swiss Grandmother, ill. E. Bieler. Doubleday, Doran & Co. Inc, New York, 1940.
- Carpenter, Frances. Our Little Friends of Switzerland: Hansli & Heidi, ill. Curtiss Sprague. New York: American Book Co., 1941.
- Carpenter, Frances. Our South American Neighbors. New York: American Book Co., 1942.
- Carpenter, Frances. The Pacific: Its Lands & Peoples. New York: American Book Co., 1944.
- Carpenter, Frances. Our Neighbors Near & Far. New York: American Book Co., 1946.
- Carpenter, Frances. Canada & Her Northern Neighbors, New York: American Book Co. , 1946.
- Carpenter, Frances. Tales of a Korean Grandmother: 32 Traditional Tales from China. New York: Doubleday, Doran & Co. Inc, 1947.
- Carpenter, Frances. Children of Our World. New York: American Book Co., 1949.
- Carpenter, Frances. Caribbean Lands: Mexico, Central America, & the West Indies. New York: American Book Co., 1950.
- Carpenter, Frances. Wonder Tales of Horses & Heroes, ill. William D. Hayes. Garden City: New York: Doubleday & Co., Inc., 1952.
- Carpenter, Frances. Wonder Tales of Dogs and Cats, ill. Ezra Jack Keats. Garden City: New York: Doubleday & Co., Inc., 1955.
- Carpenter, Frances. Children of Our World. New York: American Book Co., 1956.
- Carpenter, Frances. Our Homes & Our Neighbors. New York: American Book Co., 1956.
- Carpenter, Frances. Pocahontas & Her World, ill. Langdon Hihn. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 1957.
- Carpenter, Frances, in Best in Children's Books, Volume 24. Nelson Doubleday, 1959.
- Carpenter, Frances. Wonder Tales of Seas & Ships, ill. Peter Spier. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1959.
- ed. Frances Carpenter. Carp's Washington. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1960,
- Carpenter, Frances. The Elephant’s Bathtub: Wonder Tales From The Far East., ill. Hans Guggenheim. Garden City: New York: Doubleday & Co. Inc., 1962.
- Carpenter, Frances. African Wonder Tales, ill. Joseph Escourido. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1963.
- Carpenter, Frances. The Mouse Palace, ill. Adrienne Adams. McGraw-Hill Book Co. 1964.
- Carpenter, Frances. Holiday in Washington, ill. George Fulton. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 1966.
- Carpenter, Frances. The Story of East Africa. Wichita, Kan.: McCormick-Mathers Pub. Co., 1967.
- Carpenter, Frances. The Story of Korea. Cincinnati: McCormick-Mathers Pub. Co., 1969.
- Carpenter, Frances. South American Wonder Tales, ill. Ralph Creasman. Chicago: Follett, 1969.
- Carpenter, Frances. People from the Sky; Ainu Tales from Northern Japan, ill. Betty Fraser. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1972.
- Carpenter, Frances. Spooks and Scoundrels - SRA Pilot Library IIb Book 14. 1976.
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