Eric Sloane was born in New York. As a child, he was a neighbor of noted type designer Frederic W. Goudy. Sloane studied art and lettering with Goudy. In the summer of 1925, Sloane left home at the age of twenty to make a living for himself. Working his way across the country as a sign painter, he created advertisements for the likes of Red Man to Bull Durham. Unique hand calligraphy and lettering, developed during this period, later became a characteristic of his illustrated books.