Story behind the stories

You can trace the nation's changing history, as well as the social climate of the times, through an unlikely source, as one Palmer couple found out after two years of research.

Joe and Cheryl Homme recently published Storybook Culture: The Art of Popular Children's Books. In publishing the book, the Homme's have not only put together a collection of the best art from the most popular juvenile books of the last century, but also have published a look at the history of America.

"It is pretty heady subjects for juvenile books," Joe said. "You see elements of the Industrial Revolution, World War II, post World War II, the Cold War. The older volumes are interesting if for no other reason than it is a microcosm of what was going on at that time period."

Storybook Culture takes a look at series, books like the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew stories, that were a staple for previous generations. The Hommes came up with the idea to write a book, but originally, it was not going to include such lengthy research.

"We've written for small publications, but never a book before," Joe said. "Cheryl decided that we should write a book about the Sally, Dick and Jane books, because they taught a generation to read."

Cheryl said she has always been impressed by the illustrations in those books, because they tell the story.

"I collected those types of books and read them to my sons when they were four or five, and I was always amazed that through repetition and seeing the illustrations, the boys knew the stories," Cheryl said. "There is a certain playfulness, and you can tell exactly what the story must be because of the illustrations."

Cheryl sent out a couple of query letters, and the response was phenomenal. Most times, when nonpublished authors send out queries, they start a large pile of rejection letters. Not so for the Hommes.

"The first week, the guy from Collector's Press called and said he really liked the idea, but it was too narrow. He asked if we could expand it a little," Cheryl said. "That started us on our way."

The Hommes had 14 months to do the research and come up with the illustrations for the book. The finished product is a richly illustrated book that not only highlights the art of the era, but also gives the reader a history of each series and book.

The Hommes weren't book collectors before they started the research for the book. They were just interested in the books they grew up with.

"Our main focus is on the books that our Baby Boomer age group read as kids," Joe said. "There were so many to choose from, so we decided on series books."

In Storybook Culture, there are anecdotes about the authors and illustrators of such popular books as Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Chip Hilton, Judy Bolton Mysteries, The Power Boys, Tom Swift, Rick Brant and Tom Corbett.

The stories range from mystery books to science fiction to sports books, but all have a special place in the hearts of those who grew up with them.

The Hommes focus much of their research on the illustrations, and the men and women who provided their art. Through the research, they got to know many of the illustrators' and authors' families, and the rich history of children's books.

"I called the son of Harold Goodwin, who wrote the Rick Brant series as John Blaine, and asked if we could reprint some of the dust jackets. He wanted to read the text before agreeing, and so we mailed it to him," Joe said. "One morning, we're still sacked out, and we get a call from Chris, Harold's son. He said the information we had was correct, but he said there was more that we ought to know about his dad.

"I started writing furiously everything he was saying. Getting to know these people helped us out so much," Joe said.

So did getting to meet collectors. The Hommes were surprised about the generosity collectors had for the project.

"Many people gave us permission to set up our computers and scan their books for nothing," Cheryl said. "We had some people who gave us copies to bring home with us so we could scan them at home, and mail them back. People were very helpful with working with us."

The research was fascinating, the Hommes said. Take, for example, the story of the Hardy Boys series, written by Franklin W. Dixon. Or at least a group of people named Franklin W. Dixon.

"Edward Stratemeyer was almost lost to history, and that's a shame," Joe said. "His ambition was so great that he started his own syndicate and brought in a bunch of editors. He knew the best thing for a writer was to keep them anonymous and keep them hungry, and that's what he did with the Hardy Boys series.

"He used a lot of different writers under the Franklin W. Dixon name. He gave them each a guideline of what the story was, a list of the characters and the writers absolutely could not deviate from that outline. He paid them a one-time payment of $125, with no future royalties," Joe said. "And the series was one of the most successful for years."

Some of the illustrations found in those older books were clichŽ at best, but it is a sign of the times.

"For mystery books, if you had a flashlight or a full moon, that was everything," Joe said. "And it was even better if the main character was looking in a window, or if a shadow was creeping up on them."

Joe Homme wrote "about 99 percent of the text," his wife said, while Cheryl Homme did much of the computer work.

The book contains more than 400 illustrations -- less than half of the number the couple originally scanned -- and finding the dust jackets in good and usable condition was about impossible for the Hommes.

"Almost every single book had tears and rips on the covers, and although that gave them a vintage feel, that's not what the publisher wanted," Cheryl said. "So I restored each one of them through the computer. I certainly don't consider myself an artist, but I learned a lot doing it."

Storybook Culture is available at a number of local bookstores, including Fireside Books, Alaskana Books and Waldenbooks, as well as in Anchorage at Barnes & Noble, Borders and Cook Inlet Book Company. The book is also available online, through amazon.com, or the publisher's Web site, www. collectorspress.com, or by calling 1-800-423-1848. The price of the richly illustrated book is $39.95.

The Hommes will be signing copies of the book on Dec. 21 at Cook Inlet Book Company in Anchorage from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Now that their first foray into the publishing world is complete, the Hommes have already started working on another book, at the publisher's request. Their newest project is a look at "old fashioned romance," as Joe Homme said, and will also contain vintage artwork from old magazines and books.