Anita Willets-Burnham
Author Anita Willets-Burnham’s light, humorous chronicle of her world travels with her family is illustrated with the art work of Willets-Burnham and the family. Unlike many of her American contemporaries traveling abroad on the European “Grand Tour,” the Burnhams traveled Third Class “because there wasn’t a Fourth,” bargained for everything from beds to new shoes, and traded paintings for meals – all making for some fascinating tales.

First published in 1933 by Covici-Friede of New York, Round the World on a Penny went through several revisions and a Fourth Printing came out in 1940.

Willets-Burnham provided her publisher with unusual pieces of fabric – many of which had been hand-dipped by her in swirling patterns of oil paint floated on water – “dippies” – to provide an original cover for each book. The frontispiece, daughter Carol-Lou’s “Chinese Wedding Boy,” might be hand-tinted by a family member.

The author often signed each copy and added aphorisms or personal notes such as “Round the World on a Penny – Why not?” “To the Friendly World and a Paintbrush” and “Mistakes and [ink] blots make lovely forget me nots! Ha! Ha!”

Willets-Burnham took her book as well as her painting exhibit on tour with her when she gave her lecture on world travel, and many friends and acquaintances received a copy (complete with a hand-printed bookmark in the shape of Willets-Burnham’s talisman, a butterfly) – and often an original watercolor painting as well – as a personal thank-you for receiving the artist in their home.

Round the World on a Penny is available today through Internet used book sites, but will be available in the future in a new edition, with original illustrations.
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64-RWPGer.JPG "Nuremburg, Germany - From Our Restaurant Window" RWP illust. pen & ink 18 x 12