| Creator | Raskin, Ellen |
| Title | Ellen Raskin papers |
| Dates | 1975-1976, 1984 |
| Identification | MS 85 |
| Quantity | 1.5 linear feet (1 manuscript container and 1 document case) |
| Collection Abstract | The Ellen Raskin papers consist of the art and manuscript work for her last picture book, Twenty-Two, Twenty-Three, published in 1976. |
| Historical Abstract | Ellen Raskin (1928-1984) was a writer and illustrator of children's books. |
| Language | Material in English. |
| Location | Collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Archives staff for more information. |
Collection is open.
Copyright for materials resides with the creators of the items in question, unless otherwise designated.
Please contact the College Archivist with requests to publish any material from the collection.
[Identification of item: description and date], Ellen Raskin papers, MS 85, Simmons College Archives, Boston, MA, USA.
Papers were a gift from Ellen Raskin to Simmons College Department of Children's Literature and were later transferred to the College Archives
Accession number: 87.058
Processed by Tina Chrismore, April 1994
Supervised by Peter Carini and Megan Sniffin-Marinoff, April 1994
This collection guide was encoded as part of the LEADS project by Jennifer Quan, June 2013
Ellen Raskin, writer and illustrator of children's books, was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Sol and Margaret (Goldfisch) Raskin on March 13, 1928. She studied fine arts at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, from 1945-1949. After graduation, she moved to New York City to pursue a career in commercial illustration and design. After working for two years in a small art studio, she quit her job and began work as a free-lance artist. Raskin was instantly successful and in the next fifteen years she drew thousands of pictures for magazine illustrations, pharmaceutical ads, calendars, posters, and book jackets. After designing over one thousand book jackets, Raskin decided to try writing and designing her own books. Her first book, Nothing Ever Happens on My Block, 1966, received considerable recognition, including New York Times best illustrated and New York Herald Tribune's best picture book of the year.
She continued to illustrate books after her writing career began. In 1971 Raskin wrote her first book for young adults, The Mysterious Disappearance of Leon (I Mean Noel), which received recognition from the School Libraries Journal, American Library Association, and Library of Congress. She received numerous awards throughout her career, including a Newbery Medal in 1979 for The Westing Game. For a complete list of her works and awards see below. Raskin's last picture book, Twenty-Two, Twenty-Three, received mixed reviews.
Raskin married Dennis Flanagan, editor of Scientific America, on October 17, 1966. She had one daughter, Susan Kuhlman Metcalfe, from a previous marriage. Raskin died on August 8, 1984 due to complications from connective-tissue disease.
The Ellen Raskin papers consist of the art and manuscript work for her last picture book, Twenty-Two, Twenty-Three. The papers contain preliminary sketches and manuscripts that demonstrate how Raskin developed her characters and text, from the earliest efforts to the finished product. The papers include thumbnail sketches, story boards, a mock-up of the book, color overlays, and other items relating to the publishing process.
These and related materials may be found under the following headings in online catalogs.
Collection is arranged into 5 series:
Includes the manuscript of Raskin's last picture book, Twenty-Two, Twenty-Three.
Box 1
This series consists of the original artwork of Twenty-Two, Twenty-Three, including but not limited to thumbnail drawings, page layouts, action boards, and a mock-up of the book.
Box 1
Box 2
This series includes the galley proofs of Twenty-Two, Twenty-Three.
Box 1
This series includes the hardcover version of the published book, Twenty-Two, Twenty-Three.
Box 1
This series includes an obituary of Ellen Raskin.
Box 1
