In this uproariously funny memoir, Ludwig Bemelmans uncovers the fabulous world of the Hotel Splendide, the luxury New York hotel where he worked as a waiter. With equal parts affection and barbed wit, he records the everyday chaos that reigns behind the smooth facades of the gilded dining room and banquet halls. In hilarious detail, Bemelmans sketches the hierarchy of hotel life and its strange and fascinating inhabitants: from the ruthlessly authoritarian maitre d'hotel Monsieur Victor to the kindly waiter Mespoulets to Frizl the homesick busboy. Illustrated with his own charming line drawings, Bemelmans' tales of a bygone era of extravagance are as charming as they are riotously entertaining.

Ludwig Bemelmans came to the California home of famed interior decorator Elsie de Wolfe, Lady Mendl, for cocktails. By the end of the night, he was firmly established as a member of the family: given a bedroom in their sumptuous house, invitations to the most outrageous parties in Hollywood, and the friendship of the larger-than-life woman known to her closest friends simply as 'Mother'. With hilarity and mischief, Bemelmans lifts the curtain on a bygone world of extravagance and eccentricity, where the parties are held in circus tents and populated by ravishing movie stars. To the One I Love the Best is a luminous painting of life's oddities and a touching tribute to a fabulously funny woman.

Celebrate 75 Years of Madeline
Here, collected in one handsome volume, are all the adventures of Madeline, a fearless little girl full of mischief and vitality who is one of the world's most popular and beloved fictional characters. "Madeline," which was first published in 1939, and its five sequels have charmed generations of readers, and become true classics. In each of these books, Bemelmans' humorous verse, his immortal characters--Miss Clavel, Pepito, the magician, the others--and his wonderful, whimsical drawings of Paris combine to create a memorable reading experience for people of all ages.
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Anna Quindlen has written an introduction to the collection, which also includes "The Isle of God," an essay by Bemelmans on how he invented Madeline, and never-before-published working sketches of Madeline, as well as photos of the Bemelmans family.

It's the night before Christmas and everyone is sick in bed. All except brave Madeline, who is up and about and feeling just fine. Taking care of eleven little girls and Miss Clavel is hard work, but Madeline finds help from a magical merchant peddling flying carpets door-to-door. Now the girls are going on a Christmas journey that will surely make them forget their sniffles and sneezes. Great for gift-giving and group sharing, Madeline's Christmas now joins the five other books about Madeline as a deluxe, full-sized paperback.

The classic picture book that has been charming children for over 80 years. 'In an old house in Paris that was covered in vines lived twelve little girls in two straight lines...' Something is not right with little Madeline. Her friends are sad when she goes to hospital to have her appendix removed. But they cheer up when see her impressive scar! The small but feisty heroine, Madeline, and her charming Parisian world have been loved by children and adults alike for over eighty years.

The lively adventures of the twelve famous little girls and Genevieve, the dog, take us once more to Bemelmans' unique and delightful Paris.

"That old house in Paris that is covered with vines' still holds the irrepressible Madeline, who here manages to keep things going when everyone is sick abed Christmas Eve....The pictures are vintage Bemelmans -- brisk, energetic, and strikingly composed." Booklist

Madeline and Pepito have run off to join the carnival with a band of traveling gypsies! At first they're having the time of their lives, but then they get homesick. Leave it to clever Miss Clavel to find Madeline and Pepito and bring them home.

'In an old house in Paris that was covered in vines lived twelve little girls in two straight lines...' It's Christmas Eve, and Miss Clavel and her charges are all in bed with colds. All except Madeline, who answers the door to a rug-seller. But when she discovers that the rug-seller is also a magician, the little girls are whisked away on a magic Christmas carpet ride! The small but feisty heroine, Madeline, and her charming Parisian world have been loved by children and adults alike for over seventy years.

A timeless classic picture book, loved throughout the world 'In an old house in Paris that was covered in vines lived twelve little girls in two straight lines...' Pepito lives next door to Madeline and her friends. When he moves to London, he pines for the twelve little girls terribly. So Miss Clavel and her charges pay him a visit in London...and come home with a new friend! The small but feisty heroine, Madeline, and her charming Parisian world have been loved by children and adults alike for over seventy years. This 70th anniversary edition has a gold embossed detailing on the cover

It's playtime with Madeline
This fun-filled collection of reusable stickers, simple puzzles, and pictures to color features Madeline, Pepito, and other beloved Ludwig Bemelmans characters as they frolic in scenic Paris. Gatefold flaps on the front and back covers unfold to reveal full-color, glossy spreads where young readers can creatively place their reusable vinyl stickers.

"How ineviatable that the irrepressible Madeline should one day meet up with gypsies....As absurd and amusing as ever." Chicago Tribune

If there is such a thing as a comfort food book, Bemelmans' stories are it. His evocative tales of grand hotel life have a reporter's eye for sensory detail, yet he always manages to bathe his world and it's lovable characters in the mood of a fairytale. Meet the girl-hungry hotel Magician, Kalakobe the African cook, Mr Sigsag, Monsieur Victor, Mespoulet and an unforgettable cast of down but not yet out hotel employees. A feast of food writing. And once you've read one Bemelmans' tale you fall in love and want to read the lot.

Here is one of the most enduring and endearing characters in all children's literature, in the book that introduced her.