Written and illustrated by Virginia Lee Burton
Mike Mulligan is one of the most beloved children’s books of the twentieth century. The book is based on the small town of West Newbury, Massachusetts. Burton attended a town meeting in 1938 and sketched the town hall and the people. In the book, after many years of working together, Mike and his steam shovel Mary Anne face competition from more modern gasoline, electric, and diesel motor shovels. Mike finds a small town that is about to build a new town hall and he boasts that he can dig the cellar in a single day. Amid the disbelief of the townspeople and his own doubts, Mike starts at sundown the next morning and just barely finish by sundown but neglect to leave a way out. A small boy watching suggests they build the new town hall around Mary Anne and have her converted to the boiler for the heating system and Mike can be the janitor. As with most of her books, the story is a lesson in perseverance and triumph over adversity.
These works are late-stage studies for the book. The final works for Mike Mulligan were donated by Jinnee to the Knight Library at the University of Oregon.
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Mary Anne Plume Study
8×5.5 in
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Mike Mulligan and Mary Anne Had Been Digging Together Study
8×10 in
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Cut Through Mountains Study
8×5.25 in
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Lowered the Hills Study
4.5×11.25 in
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Mike Mulligan and Mary Anne Were Very Sad Study
3.5×10.25 in
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They Left the Canals Study
7.5×11 in
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‘Dig a Cellar in a Day!’
8.25×10 in
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Soon a Little Boy Came Along Study
2.5×3 in
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Dug a Little Faster Study
8×10.5 in
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Finished the First Corner Study
8.25×10.5 in
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The Fire Department Study
3.5×8 in
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Finished the Third Corner Study
8×11 in
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Hurray for Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel Study
6×11.5 in
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Forgotten to Leave a Way Out Study
8×10.5 in
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Everyone Started Talking at Once Study
7.75×8.5 in
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So It Was Decided Study
7.5×10 in
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Mrs McGillicuddy Takes Him Nice Hot Apple Pies Study
7.5×10.5 in
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Mike in His Rocking Chair Study
7.5×9 in
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Mike Mulligan Color Studies
4.75×6.25 in
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Little Boy Sketch Study
5.5×1.75 in
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Mary Anne Character Studies
3×6.5 in
Hand-colored Photo Stats
These works are black and white photostats of her drawings hand painted by the artist with notations on color and changes. Color was added in the printing process to Jinnee’s black and white drawings.
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TItle Page with Notes
8.5×11.25 in
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End Pages
8.5×20 in
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Mike Mulligan Had a Steam Shovel
8.5×8.25 in
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It Was They Who Cut Through the High Mountains
7.5×12 in
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They Smoothed Out the Ground and Filled in the Holes
6.5×9 in
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Then Along Came the New Shovels
7.5×21 in
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They Crawled Along Slowly Up the Hills
9.25×22.5 in
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They Started in Early the Next Morning
8.5×16 in
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They Finished the First Corner
8.75×21 in
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They Finished the Third Corner
9×21.25 in
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Four Corners Neat and Square
8×12.25 in
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Nothing Like This Had Ever Happened Before
8.5×20 in
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Back Cover
8.5×10 in
