Rey, H. A. (Hans Augusto), 1898-1977

Hans Augusto Rey was born September 16, 1898, in Hamburg, Germany, immigrated to the US in 1940, became a citizen in 1946 and spent the majority of his life until his death in 1977, writing and illustrating children's literature. His talent was clear early on. All throughout early childhood and into his collegiate involvement, Rey crafted his own personal artistic flare. Most of his books are lead by animal characters, through the environmental influence of a childhood nearby zoo. Universally known and embraced, Rey's trademark is that inquisitive primate, Curious George. Seven books in total, "The Curious George" series appeals widely with children because George's appearance and behavior are very similar to that of a child. Rey's literary scope is much greater than the "Curious George" series alone. He wrote and /or illustrated over forty titles, many with his wife Margaret and few under the pseudonym Uncle Gus. In 1987, ten years past his death, Curious George was named best picture book in the Children's Choice Awards held by the School Library Journal and a notable book by the ALA. Rey states, "Making picture books for children is the most wonderful profession I can think of." He truly created timeless literature that had, does and forever will have an affect on children's books. Biographical sources: Something About the Author. Volume 100, 1999.

From the description of Hans Augusto Rey Collection 1942-1958. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 426796460

Best known for his Curious George series, children's book author and illustrator H.A. Rey was born Hans Augusto Reyersbach on September 16, 1898, in Hamburg, Germany. In 1916, Rey was drafted into the German Army and he served in France and Russia between 1916 and 1919. After the war, Rey studied natural science, language, and philosophy at the University of Hamburg and the University of Munich. Rey left Hamburg for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1924 to work in a relative's import firm but left in 1935 and married Margret Waldstein, with whom he began an advertising agency. The Reys settled in Paris in 1936 and published their first children's books, including Cecily G. and the nine monkeys. George, one of the nine monkeys of Cecily G., would become the main character of the manuscript for one of the Reys' next books. Before they could publish Curious George, however, the Nazis invaded Paris in June of 1940. The Reys fled with their manuscripts and settled in New York City in October 1940. The Reys' publication career developed quickly and by the time they became naturalized citizens in 1946 they had published twenty children's books. Rey's sole book for adults, The stars: a new way to see them, was published in 1952. Rey found the existing guidebooks for the novice astronomer unnecessarily complicated, and used his skills as an illustrator to develop an easier system for the representation of constellations. After the Reys moved from New York to Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1963, Rey taught astronomy at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education and became a member of the Amateur Astronomers Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Federation of American Scientists. H.A. Rey died on August 26, 1977.

From the description of H.A. Rey papers, 1940-1961. (University of Oregon Libraries). WorldCat record id: 53148137

Hans Augusto Reyersbach was born in Hamburg, Germany in 1898. He served in the German army in World War I and worked as a lithographer and poster designer after the war. He moved to Rio de Janeiro in 1925, where he married Margarete Waldstein (born in Hamburg in 1906). Waldstein had studied at the Bauhaus and other German art schools before moving to Rio de Janeiro in 1935, the year she married Hans Reyersbach. After living and working in Paris until the German occupation, the Reys settled in New York and began publishing children's books (he as illustrator, she as writer). They became American citizens in 1946. Though seven Curious George books were published in H.A. Rey's lifetime, the character did not become hugely popular until after his death in 1977. Margret Rey managed the enterprise until her death in 1996.

From the description of H.A. and Margret Rey papers. [Part 5], 1873-2002 (bulk 1914-2002). (University of Southern Mississippi, Regional Campus). WorldCat record id: 51833101

From the description of H.A. and Margret Rey papers. [Part 1], 1873-2002 (bulk 1914-2002). (University of Southern Mississippi, Regional Campus). WorldCat record id: 27262781

From the description of H.A. and Margret Rey papers. [Part 4], 1873-2002 (bulk 1914-2002). (University of Southern Mississippi, Regional Campus). WorldCat record id: 51833094

Hans Augusto Reyersbach was born in Hamburg, Germany in 1898. He served in the German army in World War I and worked as a lithographer and poster designer after the war. He moved to Rio de Janeiro in 1925, where he married Margarete Waldstein (born in Hamburg in 1906). Waldstein had studied at the Bauhaus and other German art schools before moving to Rio de Janeiro in 1935, the year she married Hans Reyersbach. After living and working in Paris until the German occupation, the Reys settled in New York and began publishing children's books. They became American citizens in 1946. Though seven Curious George books were published in H.A. Rey's lifetime, the character did not become hugely popular until after his death in 1977. Margret Rey managed the enterprise until her death in 1996.

From the description of H.A. and Margret Rey papers. [Part 3], 1873-2002 (bulk 1914-2002). (University of Southern Mississippi, Regional Campus). WorldCat record id: 51833086

From the description of H.A. and Margret Rey papers. [Part 2], 1873-2002 (bulk 1914-2002). (University of Southern Mississippi, Regional Campus). WorldCat record id: 51833074

Best known for his Curious George series, children's book author and illustrator H.A. Rey was born Hans Augusto Reyersbach on September 16, 1898, in Hamburg, Germany. Rey's love for illustration and for animals, which are the main subjects of most of his books, developed early. He would recall that during his childhood, he was "drawing most of the time" and visiting Hamburg's Hagenbeck Zoo so frequently that he became "more familiar with the elephants and kangaroos then with cows or sheep."

As a child, Rey was enrolled in a "Humanitarian Gymnasium" which focused on linguistics and the humanities. Rey enjoyed linguistics and learned to speak four languages fluently, but nonetheless filled his notebooks with surreptitiously drawn sketches. In 1916, with World War I raging across Europe, Rey was drafted into the Army when he left school at age eighteen. Enlisted in the infantry and medical corps, Rey served in France and Russia, between 1916 and 1919. Rey returned from the war to find Hamburg depressed by postwar inflation, and soon realized that is plan to attend art school was financially impossible. Instead, Rey studied natural science, language and philosophy at the University of Hamburg and the University of Munich from 1920 to 1923. He warned a meager living during this time by lithographing posters for a circus, spending as much time as possible with the circus animals.

Facing increasingly grim economic prospects in Hamburg, Rey left for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1924 to work in a relative's import firm--in Rey's words, "selling bathtubs up and down the Amazon river." Rey found the world of commerce constraining, however, and left the import business in 1935 at the urging of Margret Waldstein, and acquaintance from Hamburg recently arrived in Brazil after fleeing the Nazis. H.A. and Margret were soon married and combined H.A.'s drawing talents with Margret's formal art education and photography experience to form a small-scale, two-person advertising agency. The Reys returned to Europe for their honeymoon in 1936 and settled in Paris. Here the two continued their advertising work and published their first children's books, including Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys . Through the majority of the books list H.A. as sole author, he explains that "even those that do not show Margret's name on the title own much to her help; she usually does the text and criticizes my drawings while they are in progress." Margret described her role in the production process as that of a "midwife," and remarked that "it was hard to pull [the books] apart into who did what." Similarly, accounts differ as to the publication dates of many of H.A. Rey's books. While the Reys identify Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys as their first publication, other sources disagree.

George, one of the nine monkey's of Cecily G. would become the main character of the manuscript for one of Rey's next books. Before they could publish Curious George, however, the Nazis invaded Paris June of 1940 and the Reys fled on bicycle, bringing with them little more then warm clothing and their manuscripts. As the Reys left Paris, police suspected the two of being spies detained and interrogated them. After reviewing the manuscripts in search of incriminating details, the police determined that the creators of such agreeable stories could not possibly be spies. The Reys reached Lisbon after a few days of bicycle and train travel and returned to Brazil before moving permanently to the United States by October, 1940.

The Reys' publication career developed quickly in the United States. The manuscripts for four children's books were accepted for publication by Houghton Mifflin within a month of the Reys' taking residence in New York City's Greenwich Village. By the time H.A. and Margret Rey became naturalized citizens in 1946, they had published twenty children's books, three of which appeared under the pen name "Uncle Gus." Certainly the Curious George series (appearing as the Zozo series in England) was the most popular of the books. After Curious George was published in 1942, Curious George Takes a Job, Curious George Rides a Bike, Curious George Gets a Medal, Curious George Flies a Kite, Curious George Learns the Alphabet, and Curious George Goes to the Hospital appeared between 1947 and 1966. Volumes in the series were awarded placement on the 1957 New York Times List of Best Illustrated Books of the Year; the 1960 Louis Carroll Shelf Award; and the 1966 Child Study Association of American Children's Book Award. More importantly, perhaps, the books' slapstick cartoonish humor made the series enormously popular with children, who identify with the well-meaning but mischievous antics of the monkey George. The Curious George books have sold more then twenty million copies and appear in twelve languages. They now appear on a series of interactive, multimedia CD-ROMs.

Rey's sole book "for adults," The Stars: A New Way to See Them, was published in 1952. Rey became interested in astronomy during his service in World War I when he would study the stars from a pocket guidebook during the dark nights. As he continued to study astronomy over the years, Rey found the existing guidebooks for the novice astronomer unnecessarily complicated, and used his skills as an illustrator to develop an easier-to-follow system for the identification of constellations. The result was The Stars, which received considerable praise from amateur and professional astronomers alike. Following on the success of The Stars, in 1954 Rey produced an astronomy book for children, Find the Constellations, which he claims is "written so simply that even adults can understand it." After the Reys moved from New York City to Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1963, H.A. taught astronomy at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education and became a member of the Amateur Astronomers Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Federation of American Scientists.

Though H.A. Rey published few works after Curious George Learns the Alphabet appeared in 1963, his books remain immensely popular. Following H.A.'s death on August 26, 1977, Margret Rey worked as a professor of creative writing at Brandeis University and as agent for A.P. Watt Ltd.., the Rey's London publisher, while acting as overseer of the production and sales of Curious George merchandise. In 1990, Margret made a sizable contribution of the book manuscripts and original drawings to the de Grummond Children's Literature Collection at the University of Southern Mississippi, to which the Reys began donating their works in 1966. After Margret's death in 1996, the Rey estate contributed with the Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston. The Fund has recently provided substantial funding for the cataloguing and preservation for the H.A. and Margret Rey archive. An exhibit of the Reys' works arranged by the de Grummond Collection recently resulted in the August 2000 publication of the 1938 manuscript Blackwhite the Penguin Sees the World .

From the guide to the H.A. Rey papers, 1940-1961, (Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries)

Hans Augusto Rey was born September 16, 1898, in Hamburg, Germany, immigrated to the US in 1940, became a citizen in 1946 and spent the majority of his life until his death in 1977, writing and illustrating children's literature. His talent was clear early on. All throughout early childhood and into his collegiate involvement, Rey crafted his own personal artistic flare. Most of his books are lead by animal characters, through the environmental influence of a childhood nearby zoo. Universally known and embraced, Rey's trademark is that inquisitive primate, Curious George. Seven books in total, "The Curious George" series appeals widely with children because George's appearance and behavior are very similar to that of a child.

Rey's literary scope is much greater than the "Curious George" series alone. He wrote and /or illustrated over forty titles, many with his wife Margaret and few under the pseudonym Uncle Gus. In 1987, ten years past his death, Curious George was named best picture book in the Children's Choice Awards held by the School Library Journal and a notable book by the ALA. Rey states, "Making picture books for children is the most wonderful profession I can think of." He truly created timeless literature that had, does and forever will have an affect on children's books.

Biographical sources: Something About the Author . Volume 100, 1999.

From the guide to the Hans Augusto Rey Collection, 1942-1958, (University of Minnesota Libraries Children's Literature Research Collections [clrc])