Never, never land ...

It was just a coincidence. Cincinnati Ballet is performing "Peter Pan" this weekend, and while in the attic looking for books to serve as props in an exhibit, I found an edition of "Peter Pan" that I'd forgotten about.

It's the Whitman Publishing Company's oversized "Peter Pan Picture Book," published in 1931 and illustrated by Roy Best. Confirming my theory that all roads lead to Ohio, I discovered that Best was born in Waverly, Ohio, and, of course, attended art school in Cincinnati.

The book is falling apart, but even so, its pages are in good condition. The soft, enchanting illustrations of Tinker Bell and Peter are my favorites, even if Tink is a tad too pin-up for me. Little did I know, until I began researching Best, that he's best-known as a pin-up artist. Not racy pin-ups though, a bit more wholesome, girl-next-door.

The bright, cartoonish Captain Hook paintings don't appeal to me, so you won't see them here. Chances are that all the illustrations will find their way into the "Stuff I Can't Bear to Cut Up" files ...