James Edward Marshall (October 10, 1942 – October 13, 1992), who sometimes published under the name Edward Marshall, was an American author-illustrator of children's literature, including the George and Martha series of picture books (1972–1988), and an illustrator of additional books including Miss Nelson is Missing (1977) by Harry Allard. In 2007, he was posthumously awarded the Children's Literature Legacy Award for "substantial and lasting contribution" to American children's literature.
Early life and education James Marshall was born on October 10, 1942, in San Antonio, Texas, where he grew up on his family's 85-acre farm. Marshall's father worked on the railroad and had a band, and his mother sang in the local church choir. The family later moved to Beaumont, Texas. Marshall said: "Beaumont is deep south and swampy and I hated it. I knew I would die if I stayed there so I diligently studied the viola, and eventually won a scholarship to the New England Conservatory in Boston."
He entered the New England Conservatory of Music but injured his hand in an airplane accident, causing his music career to end at age 19. Marshall returned to Texas, where he attended San Antonio College, and later transferred to Southern Connecticut State University, where he earned degrees in French and history.
Career
From 1968 to 1970, Marshall taught French and Spanish classes at Cathedral High School in Boston, Massachusetts, despite not knowing Spanish. In 1970 he moved to New York City to work as an illustrator, and soon illustrated his first picture book, Plink, Plink, Plink by Byrd Baylor (1971). In 1972 he published George and Martha, his first book as an author-illustrator.
He illustrated several books by the writer Harry Allard including Miss Nelson Is Missing and The Stupids. Later in his career, Marshall illustrated picture book versions of classic fairy tales including Little Red Riding Hood, Mother Goose, Hansel and Gretel, and Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
As illustrator of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Marshall was a runner-up for the Caldecott Medal in 1989 (the "Caldecott Honor Books" display silver rather than gold seals). He won a University of Mississippi Silver Medallion in 1992. Over his career, he was three times recognized by The New York Times Book Review as one of the best illustrated children's book of the year.Bruce Lambert, "James Marshall, 50, an Illustrator And an Author for Children, Dies", The New York Times, October 15, 1992
Marshall lived between an apartment in the Chelsea district of New York City and a home in Mansfield Hollow, Connecticut. He died on October 13, 1992, three days after his 50th birthday. Marshall's obituary states that he died of a brain tumor, but his sister has since clarified that he died of AIDS."Finding the Artist in His Art: A Week with the James Marshall Papers." Archives and Special Collections Blog. June 15, 2016. Accessed February 7, 2019. https://blogs.lib.uconn.edu/archives/2016/06/15/finding-the-artist-in-his-art-a-week-with-the-james-marshall-papers/."James Marshall." Wandervogel Diary. November 07, 2010. Accessed February 08, 2019. https://wandervogeldiary.wordpress.com/2010/11/07/james-marshall/. Marshall was gay, and though he did not publicly come out during his lifetime, he was open with those he knew personally about his sexuality.
Works TitleAuthorIllustratorCityPublisherYearA Day With Whisker Wickles Cynthia Jameson James Marshall New York Coward McCann 1975A Summer in the South James Marshall James Marshall New York Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 1977A Frog and Her Dog James Marshall James Marshall Boston Houghton Mifflin 1977All the Way HomeLore Segal James Marshall New York Farrar, Straus, Giroux 1973Bonzini! The Tattooed Man Jeffrey Allen James Marshall Boston Little, Brown and Co 1976Bumps in the Night Harry Allard James Marshall New York Bantam Doubleday Dell 1979Carrot NoseJan Wahl James Marshall Farrar, Straus, and Giroux 1978Choosing Books For Children: A Commonsense Guide Betsy Hearne James Marshall New York Delacorte 1990Cinderella Barbara Karlin James Marshall New York Dial Books 1989Dinner at Alberta's Russell Hoban James Marshall New York Thomas Y. Crowell 1975Dinosaur's Housewarming Party Norma Klein James Marshall New York Crown Publishers 1974Eugene James Marshall James Marshall 1975Four Little Troubles James Marshall James Marshall Boston Houghton Mifflin1975Four on the Shore Edward Marshall James Marshall New York Dial 1985Fox all Week Edward Marshall James Marshall New York Penguin 1984Fox and His Friends Edward Marshall James Marshall New York Penguin 1982Fox at School Edward Marshall James Marshall New York Dial 1983Fox Be Nimble James Marshall James Marshall New York Dial 1990Fox in Love Edward Marshall James Marshall New York Penguin 1982Fox on Stage James Marshall James Marshall New York Penguin 1993Fox on the Job James Marshall James Marshall New York Dial 1988Fox on Wheels Edward Marshall James Marshall New York Dial 1983Fox Outfoxed James Marshall James Marshall New York Penguin 1992Fox Tales (Fox Outfoxed, Fox Be Nimble, Fox on Stage) James Marshall James Marshall New York Dial Books For Young Readers 1990George and Martha James Marshall James Marshall Boston Houghton Mifflin 1972George and Martha Encore James Marshall James Marshall Boston Houghton Mifflin 1973George and Martha Back in Town James Marshall James Marshall Boston Houghton Mifflin 1984George and Martha One Fine Day James Marshall James Marshall Boston Houghton Mifflin 1978George and Martha Rise and Shine James Marshall James Marshall Boston Houghton Mifflin 1976George and Martha Round and Round James Marshall James Marshall Boston Houghton Mifflin 1988George and Martha Tons of Fun James Marshall James Marshall Boston Houghton Mifflin 1980Go, Go, Go James Marshall James Marshall Boston Houghton Mifflin 1981Goldilocks and the Three Bears James Marshall James Marshall New York Dial Books 1988Hansel and Gretel James Marshall James Marshall New York Dial Books 1990Haunted House Jokes Louis Phillips James Marshall USA Puffin 1988Hey Diddle Diddle James Marshall James Marshall New York Farrar, Straus & Giroux 1979How Beastly! A Menagerie of Nonsense Poems Jane Yolen James Marshall New York Collins 1980I Will Not Go to Market Today Harry Allard James Marshall New York Dial 1979It's So Nice to Have a Wolf Around the House Harry Allard James Marshall Garden City Doubleday 1977James Marshall's Mother Goose James Marshall James Marshall New York Farrar, Straus & Giroux 1979Lazy Stories Diane Wolkstein James Marshall New York Seabury Press 1976MacGoose's Grocery Frank Asch James Marshall New York Dial 1978Mary Alice Operator Number 9 Jeffrey Allen James Marshall Boston Little Brown & Co. 1975Miss. Dog's Christmas Treat James Marshall James Marshall Boston Houghton Mifflin 1973Merry Christmas, Space Case James Marshall James Marshall New York Dial 1986Miss Nelson Has a Field Day Harry Allard James Marshall Boston Houghton Mifflin 1985Miss Nelson is Back Harry Allard James Marshall Boston Houghton Mifflin Co. 1982Miss Nelson is Missing Harry Allard James Marshall Boston Houghton Mifflin 1977My Friends the Frogs James Marshall James Marshall Lexington, Mass. D.C. Heath 1989Nosey Mrs. Rat Jeffrey Allen James Marshall New York Viking Kestrel 1985Old Mother Hubbard and Her Wonderful Dog James Marshall James Marshall New York Farrar, Straus & Giroux 1991Plink Plink Plink Byrd Baylor James Marshall Boston Houghton Mifflin 1971Pocket Full of Nonsense James Marshall James Marshall New York Golden Books 1992Portly McSwine James Marshall James Marshall Boston Houghton Mifflin 1979Rats on the Range James Marshall James Marshall New York Dial Books for Young Readers 1993Rats on the Roof James Marshall James Marshall New York Dial Books for Young Readers 1991Rapscallion Jones James Marshall James Marshall New York Viking 1983Red Riding Hood James Marshall James Marshall New York Dial 1987Roger's Umbrella Daniel Pinkwater James Marshall New York Dutton 1982Space Case Edward Marshall James Marshall New York Dial 1980Speedboat James Marshall James Marshall Middletown, Connecticut Xerox Education Publications 1976Sing Out, Irene James Marshall James Marshall Boston Houghton Mifflin 1975Snake, His Story James Marshall James Marshall Boston Houghton Mifflin Co. 1975Someone is Talking About Hortense Laurette Murdock James Marshall Boston Houghton 1975Swine Lake James MarshallMaurice Sendak New York HarperCollins 1999Taking Care of Carruthers James Marshall James Marshall Boston Houghton 1981The Night Before Christmas Clement C. Moore James Marshall New York Scholastic 1985The Owl and the Pussycat Edward Lear James Marshall S.l. HarperCollins 1991The Adventures of Isabel: a Verse Ogden Nash James Marshall Boston Little, Brown 1991The Big Jump / el salto James Marshall James Marshall Boston Houghton Mifflen 1981The Boy Who Cried Wolf Freya Littledale James Marshall New York Scholastic 1975The Cut-ups James Marshall James Marshall New York Viking Kestrel 1984The Cut-ups at Camp Custer James Marshall James Marshall New York Viking Penguin 1989The Cut-ups Carry On James Marshall James Marshall New York Viking 1990The Cut-ups Crack Up James Marshall James Marshall New York Viking Penguin 1992The Cut-ups Cut Loose James Marshall James Marshall New York Viking Kestrel 1987The Frog Prince Edith H. Tarcov James Marshall New York Scholastic 1974The Exploding Frog and Other Fables From Aesop John McFarland James Marshall Boston Little, Brown 1981The Piggy in the Puddle Charlotte Pomerantz James Marshall New York Simon & Schuster 1974The Stupids Die Harry Allard James Marshall Boston Houghton Mifflin 1981The Stupids Have a Ball Harry Allard James Marshall Boston Houghton Mifflin 1978The Stupids Step Out Harry Allard James Marshall Boston Houghton Mifflin 1974The Stupids Take Off Harry Allard James Marshall Boston Houghton Mifflin 1989The Three Little Pigs James Marshall James Marshall New York Dial 1989There's a Party at Mona's Tonight Harry Allard James Marshall Garden City Doubleday 1981Three by the Sea Edward Marshall James Marshall New York Dial Press 1981Three Up a Tree James Marshall James Marshall New York Dial 1986Troll Country Edward Marshall James Marshall New York Dial 1980What's the Matter With Carruthers James Marshall James Marshall Boston Houghton Mifflin 1972Willis James Marshall James Marshall Boston Houghton Mifflin 1974Wings: a Tale of Two Chickens James Marshall James Marshall New York Viking 1986Yummers! James Marshall James Marshall Boston Houghton Mifflin 1972Yummers Too: the Second Course James Marshall James Marshall Boston Houghton Mifflin 1986
See also
References
External links Guide to the James Marshall papers at the University of Oregon Authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults — directory including Marshall Guide to the James Marshall papers at the University of Connecticut James Marshall Papers in the de Grummond Children's Literature Collection
Edward Marshall at LC Authorities, with 12 records, and Edward at WorldCat Edward Marshall in the German national library (with 2 records likely for another Edward Marshall) Video excerpt from "James Marshall and his Studio" (YouTube)