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Mud Book: How to Make Pies and Cakes
In the mid-1950s, legendary avant-garde composer John Cage and artist Lois Long created a truly marvelous object. Part artist's book, part cookbook, and part children's book, Mud Book is a spirited, if not satirical, take on almost every child's first attempt at cooking and making. Through the humble mud pie—add dirt and water!—Cage and Long encourage children to explore their imagination and to get their hands dirty, and they offer this "Mud pies are to make and look at, not to eat."
A unique hybrid of art book, unconventional cookbook, and inspiration for young makers, this new edition of Mud Book will delight children and parents alike, and makes a charming gift for all ages.
A unique hybrid of art book, unconventional cookbook, and inspiration for young makers, this new edition of Mud Book will delight children and parents alike, and makes a charming gift for all ages.
36 pages, Hardcover
First published September 5, 1988
About the author
John Cage
250 books238 followersJohn Milton Cage Jr. was an American composer, philosopher, poet, music theorist, artist, printmaker, and amateur mycologist and mushroom collector. A pioneer of chance music, electronic music and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde. Critics have lauded him as one of the most influential American composers of the 20th century. He was also instrumental in the development of modern dance, mostly through his association with choreographer Merce Cunningham, who was also Cage's romantic partner for most of their lives.
Cage is perhaps best known for his 1952 composition 4′33″, the three movements of which are performed without a single note being played. The content of the composition is meant to be perceived as the sounds of the environment that the listeners hear while it is performed, rather than merely as four minutes and thirty three seconds of silence, and the piece became one of the most controversial compositions of the 20th century. Another famous creation of Cage's is the prepared piano (a piano with its sound altered by placing various objects in the strings), for which he wrote numerous dance-related works and a few concert pieces, the best known of which is Sonatas and Interludes (1946–48).
His teachers included Henry Cowell (1933) and Arnold Schoenberg (1933–35), both known for their radical innovations in music and coincidentally their shared love of mushrooms, but Cage's major influences lay in various Eastern cultures. Through his studies of Indian philosophy and Zen Buddhism in the late 1940s, Cage came to the idea of chance-controlled music, which he started composing in 1951. The I Ching, an ancient Chinese classic text on changing events, became Cage's standard composition tool for the rest of his life. In a 1957 lecture, Experimental Music, he described music as "a purposeless play" which is "an affirmation of life – not an attempt to bring order out of chaos nor to suggest improvements in creation, but simply a way of waking up to the very life we're living".
Cage is perhaps best known for his 1952 composition 4′33″, the three movements of which are performed without a single note being played. The content of the composition is meant to be perceived as the sounds of the environment that the listeners hear while it is performed, rather than merely as four minutes and thirty three seconds of silence, and the piece became one of the most controversial compositions of the 20th century. Another famous creation of Cage's is the prepared piano (a piano with its sound altered by placing various objects in the strings), for which he wrote numerous dance-related works and a few concert pieces, the best known of which is Sonatas and Interludes (1946–48).
His teachers included Henry Cowell (1933) and Arnold Schoenberg (1933–35), both known for their radical innovations in music and coincidentally their shared love of mushrooms, but Cage's major influences lay in various Eastern cultures. Through his studies of Indian philosophy and Zen Buddhism in the late 1940s, Cage came to the idea of chance-controlled music, which he started composing in 1951. The I Ching, an ancient Chinese classic text on changing events, became Cage's standard composition tool for the rest of his life. In a 1957 lecture, Experimental Music, he described music as "a purposeless play" which is "an affirmation of life – not an attempt to bring order out of chaos nor to suggest improvements in creation, but simply a way of waking up to the very life we're living".
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
January 29, 2017
Such a delightful and beautiful re-iusse. Not one I knew before. Love. This from my blog review.
John Cage, a remarkable avant-garde composer (perhaps best known for the work 4'33'' which is performed as total silence), collaborated with textile artist Lois Long in the 1980s to create Mud Book: How to Make Pies and Cakes . Happily for us Princeton Architectural Press has brought back this delightful and charming little book. (It will be out this coming Tuesday.) As they describe it, this delightful object is: "Part artist's book, part cookbook, and part children's book, Mud Book is a spirited, if not satirical, take on almost every child's first attempt at cooking and making. Through the humble mud pie add dirt and water!" It is adorable and perfect for little ones who want to explore the world of making food (real or play).
John Cage, a remarkable avant-garde composer (perhaps best known for the work 4'33'' which is performed as total silence), collaborated with textile artist Lois Long in the 1980s to create Mud Book: How to Make Pies and Cakes . Happily for us Princeton Architectural Press has brought back this delightful and charming little book. (It will be out this coming Tuesday.) As they describe it, this delightful object is: "Part artist's book, part cookbook, and part children's book, Mud Book is a spirited, if not satirical, take on almost every child's first attempt at cooking and making. Through the humble mud pie add dirt and water!" It is adorable and perfect for little ones who want to explore the world of making food (real or play).
August 25, 2017
A fun, mildly subversive lark from Cage and a fellow artist.
April 16, 2017
Every child needs to make a mud pie at least once in their life. This book is about some of my favorite childhood memories! It teaches the reader how to make a real mud pie. It is such a fun and silly book and kids will delight in the instructions on how to make a mud pie. You can read the book together and then busy making your own mud pies. This book could be the bridge to some of your favorite memories for you and your kids. A must for a home library!!!
May 18, 2017
On my trip to The Museum of Modern Art recently, I noticed this funny little book in the bookstore. This book by artist Lois Long and composer, and artist
John Cage, is all about how to make mud pies with simple drawings and text lines that are playful. The right size to fit in little hands and short for reading over and over; which is exactly what the little one reading with you will want to do. Originally created in the 1950's and printed in mass by Princeton Architectual Press.
Both artists have had works displayed in MOMA including the original Mud Book.
Lois Long-Prints: Acquisitions, 1973–1976
November 23, 1976–February 20, 1977
The Museum of Modern Art.
John Cage, Lois Long
Mud Book
1983.
Some may not like seeing the edited parts of the original text and sketches, but I think it's a great way to have conversations about picture book creation or art creation in general with very little ones.
John Cage, is all about how to make mud pies with simple drawings and text lines that are playful. The right size to fit in little hands and short for reading over and over; which is exactly what the little one reading with you will want to do. Originally created in the 1950's and printed in mass by Princeton Architectual Press.
Both artists have had works displayed in MOMA including the original Mud Book.
Lois Long-Prints: Acquisitions, 1973–1976
November 23, 1976–February 20, 1977
The Museum of Modern Art.
John Cage, Lois Long
Mud Book
1983.
Some may not like seeing the edited parts of the original text and sketches, but I think it's a great way to have conversations about picture book creation or art creation in general with very little ones.
January 29, 2017
Such a delightful and beautiful reiusse. Not one I knew before. Love.
May 7, 2017
This book dates from the 1950s. Created by avant-garde composer Cage and artist Long, this book looks at mud pies as one of the first creative and maker experiences of children. The book is presented as the simplest of cookbooks. It begins with a recipe for mud pies that involves dirt, water and sunshine. There are tips on what to do if your mixture is too wet too. The book then turns to a much more complicated recipe for mud layer cake that involves pans, rocks and more. Exactly what any youngster needs to design their own pies and cakes into masterpieces.
This book shows the joy of playing in the mud and dirt. The illustrations by Long are filled with dabs and dribbles of muddy color, looking exactly like dirt on the page. There’s a looseness to the illustrations that plays nicely against the instructions which are serious in tone and still inviting for exploration.
This is a joy of a book that is part art and part how-to manual and all fun. Appropriate for ages 2-4.
This book shows the joy of playing in the mud and dirt. The illustrations by Long are filled with dabs and dribbles of muddy color, looking exactly like dirt on the page. There’s a looseness to the illustrations that plays nicely against the instructions which are serious in tone and still inviting for exploration.
This is a joy of a book that is part art and part how-to manual and all fun. Appropriate for ages 2-4.
June 30, 2017
Cage, John and Lois Long Mud Book: how to make pies and cakes. PICTURE BOOK. Princeton Architectural Press, 1983, 2017. $15.
Did you know there is a better way to make a mud pie? Cage and Long have all kinds of good advice to get it right. With added caution that mud pies are not really for eating!
The original edition of this reprint was only 500 copies, so i am not surprised if you have never seen it. It is a small format books with thick pages, which makes it great for the adult crowd, but really it needs to be much larger and in board book form, perhaps water and mud proof, so that it can be taken outside and used as a reference!
Pre-K, GIFT - OPTIONAL. Cindy, Library Teacher
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017/...
Did you know there is a better way to make a mud pie? Cage and Long have all kinds of good advice to get it right. With added caution that mud pies are not really for eating!
The original edition of this reprint was only 500 copies, so i am not surprised if you have never seen it. It is a small format books with thick pages, which makes it great for the adult crowd, but really it needs to be much larger and in board book form, perhaps water and mud proof, so that it can be taken outside and used as a reference!
Pre-K, GIFT - OPTIONAL. Cindy, Library Teacher
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017/...
August 3, 2017
Such a cheeky charmer. The pseudo-serious take on directions offers much more than laughs. Readers will find here an entertaining little book, as well as a huge mentor option for writing how-to txt, humor, and chronological expository text.
April 30, 2020
This is a fun book. It seems as if a child has written a cookbook for mud pies and cakes, with funny and yet somehow detailed instructions on how to make them. The kids enjoyed this book. It's original. They also want to make mud pies / cakes now.
May 5, 2017
A tongue in cheek recipe to make a mud pie! It made me smile!
May 24, 2017
Artsy with adult appeal, though the recipes would be fun additions to playtime.
All ages.
All ages.
July 7, 2017
Avent-gard, weird, not really a "kids" book.
August 26, 2017
I liked this book because it showed me how to make some cool stuff with mud, pebbles, and dandelions.
October 4, 2017
A children's simple cookbook on how to make a mud pie. Simple. Enough said.
Great idea!
Great idea!
January 6, 2018
A picture book by John Cage!
August 31, 2018
3.5 stars... creative, unique, and useful in modeling sequencing, etc.
January 3, 2019
jako to je taaaak skvělá knížka..
a je o blátě...
a je krásně udělaná...
a jsou tam dva recepty na dorty z bláta..
a člověk se směje a směje a vzpomíná, jak si hrál s blátem jako dítě...
SQUĚLÝ!
a je o blátě...
a je krásně udělaná...
a jsou tam dva recepty na dorty z bláta..
a člověk se směje a směje a vzpomíná, jak si hrál s blátem jako dítě...
SQUĚLÝ!
September 11, 2019
Small-format book that brims with exploration and whimsy for young and older readers. This is also another data point to grasp John Cage’s broad and creative reach.
November 17, 2019
Wonderfully serious.
February 7, 2020
Cute but meh.
February 12, 2023
I had no clue how to make mud pies and the fact there's a book about it all? Well, I am glad I found this at the library for the kiddos!
August 25, 2021
Strange, artsy, and not engaging enough for most kids.
March 31, 2017
I loved to make mud pies when I was little. This book is a celebration of that time honored tradition.
April 13, 2017
An awesome book that shows children how to have fun with mud! The book was so tiny though, I wish it was bigger to use during storytime.
April 18, 2017
Mud Book: How to Make Pies and Cakes
By John Cage (Author), Lois Long (Illustrator)
One of my new favorites in time for spring, this nonfiction picture book is fun for all ages, inspiring play, make-believe, and creative cuisines and combining them with genre-bending art, into a book that is a celebration of childhood.
As a life-long gardener with a love of planting that I inherited from my father, getting down in the dirt with kids is an immensely satisfying experience. Cultivating plants and watching them grow is an amazing experience for young children, and I love spending time in the garden with my children, their friends, and our neighbors. Books like Mud Book instill a love of gardening from a young age and remind readers of all ages exactly why we love playing in the dirt. I highly recommend!
#NFPicturebook #AllAges #MudBook #ChildrensWriters #CreativePlay #Imagination #InnerChild #gardening #creativecuisine #JohnCage #LoisLong #PrincetonArchitecturalPress #ChildressInk
"In the mid-1950s, legendary avant-garde composer John Cage and artist Lois Long created a truly marvelous object. Part artist's book, part cookbook, and part children's book, Mud Book is a spirited, if not satirical, take on almost every child's first attempt at cooking and making. Through the humble mud pie add dirt and water! Cage and Long encourage children to explore their imagination and to get their hands dirty, and they offer this warning: Mud pies are to make and look at, not to eat. A unique hybrid of art book, unconventional cookbook, and inspiration for young makers, this new edition of Mud Book will delight children and parents alike, and makes a charming gift for all ages."
-Publisher
Princeton Architectural Press, $14.95, Hardcover, April 4, 2017
ISBN 9781616895525
By John Cage (Author), Lois Long (Illustrator)
One of my new favorites in time for spring, this nonfiction picture book is fun for all ages, inspiring play, make-believe, and creative cuisines and combining them with genre-bending art, into a book that is a celebration of childhood.
As a life-long gardener with a love of planting that I inherited from my father, getting down in the dirt with kids is an immensely satisfying experience. Cultivating plants and watching them grow is an amazing experience for young children, and I love spending time in the garden with my children, their friends, and our neighbors. Books like Mud Book instill a love of gardening from a young age and remind readers of all ages exactly why we love playing in the dirt. I highly recommend!
#NFPicturebook #AllAges #MudBook #ChildrensWriters #CreativePlay #Imagination #InnerChild #gardening #creativecuisine #JohnCage #LoisLong #PrincetonArchitecturalPress #ChildressInk
"In the mid-1950s, legendary avant-garde composer John Cage and artist Lois Long created a truly marvelous object. Part artist's book, part cookbook, and part children's book, Mud Book is a spirited, if not satirical, take on almost every child's first attempt at cooking and making. Through the humble mud pie add dirt and water! Cage and Long encourage children to explore their imagination and to get their hands dirty, and they offer this warning: Mud pies are to make and look at, not to eat. A unique hybrid of art book, unconventional cookbook, and inspiration for young makers, this new edition of Mud Book will delight children and parents alike, and makes a charming gift for all ages."
-Publisher
Princeton Architectural Press, $14.95, Hardcover, April 4, 2017
ISBN 9781616895525
April 20, 2017
Really charming, with an old fashioned feel to it.
April 21, 2017
Will definitely use as a how-to mentor text. Awesome!!
April 28, 2017
What a fun presentation from start to finish. Also, John Cage! THE John Cage. THAT John Cage. Cray cray!
May 7, 2017
Delightful celebration of play and imagination.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews