From its founding in 1973 until its closing in 2000 The Franklin Library produced public domain classic books, releasing series such as Greatest Books of the Twentieth Century. Often released in parallel series including leather bound and a non-leather bound (leatherette), the books were handsomely bound and included illustrations from contemporary illustrators.
American artist and illustrator Steven H. Stroud (b. 1947) was specially commissioned to create a series of interior illustrations for The Franklin Library’s 1980 publication of the 1929 novel The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner.
This pen & ink on artist’s paper is broken into two segments, as were all of the illustrations created for this publication, and were used across two pages with the empty space in between being used to identify a new date/part in the story, as seen in the example above. This dark purple scene shows a group of people standing outside the window of a Jefferson, Mississippi estate. They all look up as a young child looks down upon them from its perch up in a tree. The figure silhouetted in the window are oblivious to the drama happening just outside.
This illustration appears as the frontispiece on the title page.
Born and raised in the Chicago area, Steven Stroud served four years in the U.S. Navy as a photographer and graphic artist before embarking on a 25-year career as an illustrator. His paintings have appeared on the covers of books by Isaac Asimov, Clive Cussler, and Stephen King. He has done special editions of works by Pearl Buck, John Cheever, William Faulkner, Joseph Heller, Joyce Carol Oates, and William Styron.
His work is in the collections of The Department of Defense, Hyatt Hotels, Omega Engineering, UPS and the Florence Griswold Museum. Stroud has been a guest lecturer and critic at all levels of education. He is a past president of the Society of Illustrators and his work is featured in The Illustrator in America by Walter Reed.
Several years ago, Stroud turned his attention full time to his first love, landscape painting. He is currently represented by galleries in Massachusetts and Vermont and has had a number of highly successful group and one-man shows.
This illustration on artist’s paper has been loosely adhered to a foam core backing. A mat and black paper sheet are loosely attached over the top. This is unsigned by the artist.
