Vintage Children's Books with Surreal Illustrations

The Walt Disney Story of Our Friend the Atom

by Heinz Haber

Simon and Schuster, 1956

oversized hardcover with dust jacket,

illustrated front board, illustrated end papers, & color

illustrations by the Walt Disney Studio

This is the fascinating story of atomic theory. A wealth of color pictures and explanatory diagrams accompanies the clear,  concise account, which traces the history of atomic research, and of the scientists who contributed the many discoveries. The author tells of Democritus, the Greek philosopher who first put forward the idea that atoms exist; of Galileo, Gassendi, Newton, and Boyle, the discoverer of elements; of Lavoisier, the champion of exact measurement; of John Dalton, who composed the atomic theory of chemistry; and of Avogadro, who shrewdly worked out proportions within molecules. Then follow the recent - and history making - modern achievements: the discovery of electrons; Roentgen's X-rays; Becquerel's studies of radioactive uranium; the Curies' work with polonium and radium; Rutherford's discovery of the core of the atom; and the formulation of Einstein's profound E=MC2. In addition, Haber explains the work of Bohr, Geiger, Fermi, Hahn, and others in clarifying the architecture of the atom, splitting its nucleus, and interpreting its radiation. The conclusion explains how man can have the benefits of enormous power, of better health, of more food, and even the blessings of peace if the atom is properly used. Hundred of ingenious pictures and diagrams in color simplify the subject.

(copied from the front inner dust jacket flap)

Available for purchase on Ebay here

 

Visually Appealing Vintage Children's Book

The Picture Story of Hawaii

by Hester O'Neill

illustrated by Ursula Koerig

David McKay Company Inc., 1950

Imagine a place where you can be riding a speeding surfboard in your bathing suit at noon and by four o'clock that same afternoon find yourself in warm skiing clothes, winging your way down a snow-crested volcanic peak. This is Hawaii, a gay and exciting land, where the most modern American customs and those of old Polynesia go comfortably hand in hand. 

Little girls still dance the hula, but high school boys play the latest popular song from the mainland on their harmonicas. The traditional lei made be made of shark's teeth - or cellophane! Outrigger canoes dot the harbors, but huge transport planes fly overhead on scheduled trips between the Islands. Natives still wade along the shallow beaches and spear fish, but they fasten acetylene torches to their shoulders to light the midnight waters. 

This book describes an ancient luau and the modern Pineapple Festival on New Year's day. There is a visit to a grass hut and a tour through a modern sugar mill. The legend of Madame Pele is included - and the history of the University of Hawaii. Between the covers of this book are the Islands which one day may become the Forty-ninth state of the Union. 

(copied from the front inner dust jacket flap)

Available for purchase on Ebay here