Rockwell Kent (1882-1971) was enormously popular in the first half of the 20th century, not so much for outstanding talent but because he captured the zeitgeist of the period between the world wars.

    Much of his work was in a style known as art deco, which started in France in the early years of the century and was popular internationally until World War II. Its name is shortened from a French phrase meaning "decorative arts." In its time it was ultra-modern, blending the look of hand crafts with a machine sensibility that suited the optimism of the post-World War I period, and carried hope through the worldwide Great Depression of the 1930s.

    Though he studied architecture, he turned to painting early, creating moody landscapes in dark tones with high contrast. His most popular works, though, were the black-and-white pen and brush drawings, as well as engravings, that were used to illustrate books, and as individualized bookplates. The bookplates were so good that they were collected in a single volume in 1929.

    One of Kent's most famous projects was the illustration of a three-volume limited edition of Herman Melville's "Moby Dick." The novel had lost its popularity, and Kent's work helped revive it, selling out immediately despite having been published on the eve of the Depression. It was so popular that a one-volume trade edition was published.

    Kent occasionally turned to other work to support himself in his early days, including carpentry. Perhaps his most interesting experiences were his many adventures in the wilderness, which were later published as illustrated diaries. These included a sojourn through a winter in Alaska; travels in and around Tierra del Fuego at the tip of South America; a summer voyage (complete with a shipwreck!) to Greenland; and a winter stay there later.

    When Kent died of a heart attack, The New York Times called him a "thoughtful, troublesome, profoundly independent, odd and kind man who made an imperishable contribution to the art of bookmaking in the United States."

    Vocabulary: Which word above means:

    1. made for one person

    2. ability to tell good work from bad, taste

    3. super, extreme

    4. period of stay

    5. spirit of the age

    6. bring back to life, restore

    7. illustrated labels placed inside books with the owner's name

    8. positive attitude, hopefulness

    9. not able to be destroyed, lasting

    10. working with wood

    ANSWERS: 1. individualized 2. sensibility 3. ultra 4. sojourn 5. zeitgeist 6. revive 7. bookplates 8. optimism 9. imperishable 10. carpentry