The Illustrated and Published Works
of John Vassos

Highly mediocre Vassos shelfie...

This site has lain dormant for almost 18 years... Based on recent correspondences and the imminent publication of Danielle Shapiro's John Vassos: Industrial Design for Modern Life, the first biography of Vassos, I've decided it's time to refresh this site with new images that reflect the fact that we have moved beyond a 640 x 480 low-res world. Look for updates over the next few months...

Introduction:

Biography:

Titles:

Titles are arranged in chronological order and sub-divided by "Works Illustrated by John Vassos or Written and Illustrated by John and Ruth Vassos" and "Other Published Works". Each title includes a full bibliographic description including all known binding variants. This information is augmented by selected quotes from "publicity-blurbs," reviews and correspondences between the author, publishers, and reviewers from the archival collections.

Principle works by John Vassos

• Salome,Oscar Wilde, 1927 & 1930
• Ballad of Reading Gaol, Oscar Wilde, 1928 & 1930
• The Harlot's House and Other Poems, Oscar Wilde, 1929
• Contempo, Text by Ruth Vassos, 1929
• Ultimo, Text by Ruth Vassos, 1930
• Illustrations in "Dance," 1930-1931
• Phobia, John Vassos, 1931
• Elegy in a Country Church-Yard, Thomas Gray, 1931
• Kubla Khan, Samuel Coleridge, 1933 & 1934
• Humanities, Text by Ruth Vassos, 1935
• Synthesis No. 1: Poems by Dorothy Randolph Byard, 1937
• Contempo, Phobia, and Other Graphic Interpretations, 1976

Other Published Works:

• Dogs Are Like That, John Vassos, 1941
• Beatrice the Ballerina, Ivan Vassilovitch [John Vassos, pseudonym), 1942
• Booby the Bear, John Vassos, [1942]
• A Proverb For It: 1510 Greek Sayings, 1945
• Rex and Lobo, John Vassos, 1946
• The Silvermine Guild of Artists, Incorporated, 1939. (designed and compiled by Vassos)

Appendices:

• The Knudsen Process
• Finding aid to the John Vassos Papers, Syracuse University Library Department of Special Collections.
  
• Bibliographic record for John Vassos Papers at the Archives of American Art.

Updated May 10, 1997

For more information, contact Peter Verheyen.