Mary Reed Newland (1915–1989)

Author/artist Mary Reed Newland explores the legend of Saint Wenceslas in this beautiful picture-book from 1980. The first part of the book, a four-page introduction, is text only, and sets out the history of Wenceslas. The second part uses the text of J.M. Neale's famous nineteenth-century carol as a text, and pairs it with striking, etching-style illustrations. At the back of the book, the musical notation for the carol, along with all five verses in text, is given...

I wasn't sure what to expect from Good King Wenceslas: A Legend in Music and Pictures, which I requested through inter-library loan, but what I ended up getting was a beautifully-illustrated carol presentation, and an interesting historical introduction. Much as with Good King Wenceslas, Pauline Baynes' picture-book biography of the saint, I found myself wondering about Newland's sources (which are not listed), and questioning how accurate her historical introduction was. I will have to try and track down Jan Rejzl's Good King Wenceslas: The Real Story, which is a Czech publication , and see what it has to say. I did appreciate the fact that Newline clarifies that, despite the carol name, Wenceslas was a duke, rather than a king, and that she used his mother's name (Drahomira), which Baynes did not. As for the main part of the book, the presentation of the carol, it was simply gorgeous. I love etching/engraving stye artwork, so I truly enjoyed Newland's illustrations here. They reminded me a bit of some of Barry Moser's work, which is high praise indeed. Recommended to fans of the carol, Good King Wenceslas, and to anyone who, like me, appreciates this style of illustration.… (mais)