The Silver Mace: A Story of Williamsburg

by Maud Petersham, Miska Petersham

Elementary level picture book and for all ages, about Williamsburg, tracing the colony of Virginia from its beginning at Jamestown to the days of its glory and decline hardcover, 1956 text and many beautiful illustrations by the Petershams. 40 pages

40 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 1961

About the author

Maud Fuller was the daughter of a Baptist minister, She grew up with three sisters in a parsonage. The family moved to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to Newburg, New York, and finally to Scranton, Pennsylvania. As a child, she loved picture books and to draw. After graduating from Vassar College she studied at the New York School Of Fine And Applied Art. Her first job was in the art department at the International Art Service, an advertising firm, where she met her husband, Miska Petersham.

The Petershams began illustrating books together, at first only for other authors. In 1929 they wrote and illustrated their first book, Miki, about their son. In 1946, the couple received the Caldecott Medal for The Rooster Crows, a book of American songs, rhymes, and games in the tradition of Mother Goose. Often they traveled to foreign lands such as Holland, Greece, Germany, and Palestine to do research for their books. They had a close working relationship with their juvenile editor and were allowed to plan their own books entirely from making the dummy to choosing the format, layout, colors, and type. Their routine consisted of Maud writing the stories and doing the roughs; then Miska would finish, doing the color separations on acetate and all the tedious hand work.

The Petershams wrote and illustrated 60 books for children and illustrated 100 by other authors. When Miska died in 1960, Maud sold the Woodstock, New York, house in which they had lived and worked for forty years and moved to a smaller home in Woodstock. In addition to the 1946 Caldecott Medal for The Rooster Crows, the Petershams also received the 1942 Caldecott Honour Award in 1942 for "An American ABC".

Reviews

[Kristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a history book, a short picture book about the city of Williamsburg itself. There are a few problematic statements in regards to Native Americans, and typical glossing over of "negros." The pictures are lovely. The vignettes are engaging. Interesting for what it is, comprehension level early elementary, I'd say.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. I realize that there are things in it to be considered not politically correct but it was a fact of history and that era. It provides a glance into that time in history that I feel is important not to forget. Lovely drawings added beauty to the story. Remember, we mustn’t forget history lest we repeat it. This era was the beginning of freedoms for all man.