"The American Girl Book of Horse Stories", selected by the Editors of The American Girl Magazine; illustrated by Sam Savitt. Published by Random House, New York, 1963. Girl Scouts Of The USA

Original pictorial hard cover (a little wear and soiling), illustrated endpapers, "Sue Ellen Gillespie" is written on front ep ((a little soiling), 183 pages, 5.1/2" x 8.1/2"; very good condition.

Contents:

"Danger Rides the River Road" by Margaret Leighton;
"Beautiful and Free" by Carolyn St. Clair King;
"Fiesta Parade" by Eleanor Hoffmann;
"A Touch of Arab" by Vivian Breck;
"Sandance" by June Hall Mills;
"Palomino Cupid" by Francis Priddy;
"Two for the Show" by Ellsworth Newcomb;
"A Horse in Her Future" by Margaret Burrage:
"Ana Paula and the Golden Horse" by Marian Garthwaite;
"Tall as the Stars" by Janet Lambert

Sam Savitt (1917-2000) was an equine artist, author, and teacher, as well as an illustrator of over 130 books, in addition to 15 that he wrote. He was designated the official illustrator of the United States Equestrian Team, and was a founding member of the American Academy of Equine Art. He created several horse charts that are considered authoritative works and have been used by the Smithsonian Institution.

Sam Savitt graduated from Pratt Institute in 1939, and was a veteran of the Second World War, where he held the rank of First Lieutenant. He was further educated at the New School, in sculpting, as well as the Art Students League of New York in visual arts.

The New York Times said of his 1956 book "Step-a-Bit: The Story of a Foal", that Savitt's drawings had "great charm and spontaneity". That year Savitt was named the official artist of the United States Equestrian Team. Then his book "Midnight, Champion Bucking Horse" won the Boys Club of America junior book award in 1958. In 1950, he illustrated the seminal book on English equestrianism, "Learning to Ride, Hunt, and Show" by Gordon Wright.

His paintings have been used in the posters for races like the Kentucky Derby and the National Horse Show. His work went to galleries and commercial accounts, and he painted portraits of people such as William Randolph Hearst Jr. and Raymond Firestone. It was at times considered a mark of greatness for a race horse to have been illustrated and published by Savitt. He has also created paintings of horses participating in competitive polo. In addition, his subjects included fox hunting, rodeo, steeple-chasing and show jumping. His 1981 book "Horses with Sam Savitt" is considered to be a seminal book in equine portraiture. As a writer he wrote sixteen books and co-authored two. In addition, he illustrated more than 130 books by other authors. He worked as a cover artist for Dell Books. His comic book work included stories written about Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, The Lone Ranger, The Cisco Kid, and Ben-Hur. His work appeared in magazines that included Equus, The Chronicle of the Horse, Equine Images, Arizona Highways, Boys’ Life, and Sports Illustrated.

In 1998 Savitt was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the North American Horseman's Association. The association had previously awarded him the title of Equine Artist of Distinction. Equus Magazine included him in their list of the world's most influential horsemen of the 20th century. Savitt is the cofounder of the American Academy of Equine Art, with Henry Koehler, Marilyn Newmark, and June Harrah. With his wife, Bette, he opened Black Horse Press in 1963, which sold his charts and reproductions of his pieces. His works have been used as the illustrative basis of home furnishings and decor by various companies.

"The stories in this book are good for young girls who love horses and want to know more about these animals. It shows them how others handled horse situations. Good reading." [private review]

"So I had this book growing up in the early 70s and LOVED it. But I bought it for my daughters and reread it. It's still pretty well written - I will give it that - though there are many words in their that not even my husband knew. However, with the exception of one (or two) the theme of the stories wasn't abut horses. The theme is: The Good Girl Gets the Boy." Each story had horses but for the most part they had boys. Boys who would be impressed by the good riding but instead were impressed by the selfless good girl. Boys were very important. However, this book was written in the 50s when they were trying to ensure that the goal of all girls was to get the boy." [private review]

US: Priority (c.2-4 days) -------------- $12.50
Canada: 1st Class (c.2-6 weeks) ------ $27.50
World: 1st Class (c.2-8 weeks) ------- $34.50