The Phantom Tollbooth

Written by Norton Juster and illustrated by Jules Feiffer, The Phantom Tollbooth (1961, Knopf) is a children's book, a modern-day fairy tale full of wordplay.

The book's creation

Juster wrote The Phantom Tollbooth (ISBN 0394815009) while he was living in Brooklyn, New York. He had received a grant from the Ford Foundation to write a children's book about urban perception—how people experience cities. After several months of work, he realized he was bored with that project and wrote The Phantom Tollbooth instead, primarily to amuse himself.

Related Topics:
Brooklyn - New York - Ford Foundation

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Feiffer was a neighbor of Juster's who lived in the same building in Brooklyn Heights. He started contributing illustrations while Juster worked on the novel. Feiffer's illustrations have been part of the book since the first edition.

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The first edition of The Phantom Tollbooth was published in September, 1961. It hasn't been out of print since.

Related Topics:
September - 1961

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