The Picture Book History of the Jews (1942)

First Edition of The Picture Book History of the Jews, 1942,Written by the Author of Spartacus, Beautifully Illustrated and with Dust Jacket Fast, Howard and Fast, Bette. The Picture Book History of the Jews. New York: Hebrew Publishing, 1942. Slim quarto. Hardcover. 1st Edition. First edition of this history of the Jewish people for children, co-written by the future author of Spartacus. The Picture Book History of the Jews offers a history of Jewish triumphs at a time when Jews were being massacred across Europe. Meant to bolster the faith and pride of American Jewish children, the book highlights--in both text and stylized color illustrations--the historical importance of the Jewish people. Howard Fast contributed the text, while his wife, artist Bette Cohen Fast, contributed the illustrations. Interestingly, Howard Fast was an incredibly prolific adult novelist, best known for writing Spartacus, the basis for the movie. Fast joined the Communist Party in 1943, a year after this bo