A short life of the author
William Steig (1907–2003) had two separate and distinguished artistic careers: first as a prolific cartoonist and cover artist for The New Yorker (from 1930 onward), and then as a children’s book author and illustrator, beginning at the remarkably late age of sixty-one. His picture books — warm, funny, visually inventive, and emotionally honest — include some of the most enduring works in the genre. His creation Shrek, a lovable green ogre, was adapted by DreamWorks into one of the most successful animated film franchises in history.
Life and Career
Steig was born on 14 November 1907 in Brooklyn, New York, to Polish-Jewish immigrant parents. He attended City College of New York and the National Academy of Design. During the Depression, he became the primary supporter of his family by selling cartoons to The New Yorker, beginning a relationship with the magazine that lasted over seven decades and produced more than 1,600 drawings and 117 covers.
His New Yorker cartoons evolved from gag cartoons in the 1930s through the psychologically penetrating “Dreams of Glory” series in the 1940s to increasingly abstract and symbolic work in later decades. He was also a wood sculptor.
At sixty-one, encouraged by his friend Robert Kraus (founder of Windmill Books), Steig published his first children’s book, Roland the Minstrel Pig (1968). Sylvester and the Magic Pebble (1969) — about a donkey who wishes himself into a rock and cannot wish himself back — won the Caldecott Medal. The story’s emotional core — the parents’ grief for their lost child, Sylvester’s helplessness and longing — gives it a depth unusual in picture books.
His subsequent work includes Amos & Boris (1971), Dominic (1972), The Real Thief (1973), The Amazing Bone (1976, Caldecott Honor), Caleb & Kate (1977), Doctor De Soto (1982, Newbery Honor), and Brave Irene (1986). Shrek! (1990) — about an ugly green monster who leaves home to find his fortune — was adapted into the 2001 DreamWorks film.
Key Works
- Sylvester and the Magic Pebble (1969)
- Doctor De Soto (1982)
- Brave Irene (1986)
- Shrek! (1990)
Collecting Steig
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble first edition (Windmill/Simon & Schuster, 1969) is the key collectible — $200–$800 in fine condition with dust jacket. Shrek! first edition (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1990) brings $75–$300 — the film franchise drives demand. Steig signed at events; signed copies are available but will become scarcer (he died in 2003). His New Yorker originals are separately collected as fine art, bringing $1,000–$20,000+.