Life Class - Ludwig Bemelmans

Life Class

by Ludwig Bemelmans

Penguin, 1948 (1939) first edition paperback, 248 pp. plus 7 pp. adverts

Condition: fair/worn - a very well-read copy of this fascinating autobiography - binding fair, paper very tanned with age and use, front and rear inner hinges split, covers creased and edge-worn, and spine sellotaped.

Biography:
Beloved by three generations of young readers, Ludwig Bemelmans is best known for his Madeline books. What many may not know is that Bemelmans, born in the Austrian Tyrol, considered himself more an artist than an author. Bemelmans' family relocated several times during his childhood, resulting in his fluency in three languages (French, German, and English) by the age of 18. Arriving in New York in 1914, he worked his way up through the hotel industry. When war broke out, he enlisted in the United States Army in 1917, becoming a naturalized United States citizen in 1918. He returned to the hotel industry after the war, opening his own restaurant. [source: https://fineart.ha.com/]