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Van Allsburg, Chris

(Encyclopedia)Van Allsburg, Chris, 1949–, American writer and illustrator of children's books, b. East Grand Rapids, Mich., B.F.A. Univ. of Michigan, 1972, M.F.A. Rhode Island School of Design, 1975. Originally a...

odometer

(Encyclopedia)odometer ōdŏmˈĭtər [key], instrument provided in an automotive vehicle to indicate the total number of miles that have been traveled. The odometer generally shares a housing with the vehicle's sp...

Dwiggins, William Addison

(Encyclopedia)Dwiggins, William Addison, 1880–1956, American type designer, calligrapher, and book designer, b. Martinsville, Ohio. He attained prominence as an illustrator and commercial artist, and he brought t...

Eilshemius, Louis Michel

(Encyclopedia)Eilshemius, Louis Michel īlshēˈmēəs [key], 1864–1941, American painter, b. near Newark, N.J. The son of a wealthy Dutch importer, he spent much of his youth abroad. After two years at Cornell h...

Kahn, Robert Elliot

(Encyclopedia)Kahn, Robert Elliot, 1938–, American computer scientist, b. Brooklyn, N.Y., B.E.E. City College of New York, 1960, Ph.D. Princeton, 1964. With Vinton Cerf, he is responsible for the design and imple...

batik

(Encyclopedia)batik bətēkˈ [key], method of decorating fabrics practiced for centuries by the natives of Indonesia. It consists of applying a design to the surface of the cloth by using melted wax. The material ...

suprematism

(Encyclopedia)suprematism, Russian art movement founded (1913) by Casimir Malevich in Moscow, parallel to constructivism. Malevich drew Aleksandr Rodchenko and El Lissitzky to his revolutionary, nonobjective art. I...

Wyatt, James

(Encyclopedia)Wyatt, James, 1746–1813, English architect. He worked in many styles but is best known as one of the originators of the Gothic revival. Appointed surveyor at Westminster Abbey in 1776, he did cathed...

Zapf, Hermann

(Encyclopedia)Zapf, Hermann, 1918–2015, German calligrapher and type designer, b. Nuremberg. While apprenticing as a photo retoucher (1934–38) Zapf became interested in the work of calligrapher and typographer ...

weather vane

(Encyclopedia)weather vane or wind vane, instrument used to indicate wind direction. It consists of an asymmetrically shaped object, e.g., an arrow or a rooster, mounted at its center of gravity so it can move free...