In 1941, the late Pulitzer Prize-winning power Robert T. Tristram Coffin wrote “Christmas in Maine,” a depiction of what a perfect Maine Christmas is like — from the farmhouse stuffed with aunts, uncles and cousins to bouncy afternoon sled rides and goose dinners.
The classic story, not quite a children’s story so much as an ode to Christmas that readers of all ages can appreciate, has now been given new life in an illustrated book published by Islandport Press. The illustrations aren’t just any illustrations, though — they are woodblock prints created by artist Blue Butterfield of Portland. The Bowdoin College graduate, who is a physician assistant at Maine Medical, learned about woodblock carving and printing while studying there.
“There was a visiting history professor who gave a sort-of workshop on it named Tom Killian … and I was very, very intrigued,” said Butterfield in a recent telephone interview. “I really fell in love with it and continued to do it over the next several decades.”
For the last nine years, she’s created the popular “A Year in Maine” calendar using her woodblock prints. She also has a line of greeting cards. And it was those greeting cards that led Islandport editor Genevieve Morgan to Butterfield with the idea to create this book. After reading the story, Butterfield agreed.
“[The] writing was beautiful. It was very lyrical,” said Butterfield. “It was an homage to families, at least in my mind, and my husband is one of eight … so it felt very personal.”
So how does one collaborate on a book project using text created by a writer who died in 1955? Through lots of research. Butterfield began by researching historical context for the text, but ultimately it was decided to go for a more timeless approach — something that bridged the modern and historic context.
“I probably started with a more literal definition of the time period that I needed to,” said Butterfield, a Bar Harbor native.
She created sketches for the illustrations, and then used them to create mirror-image templates that she’d draw again before carving.
Since its release in October, Butterfield says the response to the book has “been very positive.”
Butterfield will be doing a reading, Q&A and book signing at Jesup Memorial Library at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13. Books will be available for purchase there. She’s also giving a wood carving and printing demonstration as well as a book signing at Freeport Community Library at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 16. She will sign books at the L.L. Bean flagship store in Freeport from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19.
“Christmas in Maine” is available wherever books are sold, including The Briar Patch on Central Street in Bangor.