Robert Smithson frequently used language in his drawings as material. They Scooted Across is one of a set of works on paper that directly draws from the 1923 children’s novel Betty Gordon at Ocean Park. The book is the sixth in the “Betty Gordon” series, published by Cupples and Leon from 1920 through 1932, in which Betty Gordon is the protagonist. The book is attributed to Alice B. Emerson, a pseudonym used by the Stratemeyer Syndicate, with the ghostwriter being W. Bert Foster.

Robert Smithson frequently used language as material in his drawings. Start Right Young Man is one of a set of works on paper that draw directly from the 1923 children’s novel Betty Gordon at Ocean Park. The book is the sixth in the Betty Gordon series, published by Cupples and Leon from 1920 to 1932, in which Betty Gordon is the protagonist. The book is attributed to Alice B. Emerson, a pseudonym used by the Stratemeyer Syndicate; the ghostwriter was W. Bert Foster.