Stuart Little.

WHITE, E.B.; Illustrated by Garth Williams.

$2,500.00

Item Number: 138081

New York: New York: Harper & Brothers, 1945.

First edition, early printing of the author’s classic work. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated endpapers, illustrated by Garth Williams. Boldly signed by the author on the half-title page, “Best wishes E.B. White.” Fine in a near fine dust jacket.

"The story had been brewing with White for years as a disconnected series of bedtime tales for his nieces and nephews by the time it came to Harper. There, shepherded by the distinguished editor Ursula Nordstrom and felicitously illustrated [with 87 drawings] by Garth Williams, the book was eventually published-generally to high acclaim The book sounds a resonant note as Stuart undertakes his quest for the beautiful bird, Margalo. And that quest, as White himself noted, ‘symbolizes the continuing journey that everybody takes—in search of what is perfect and unattainable. This is perhaps too elusive an idea to put into a children’s book, but I put it in anyway" (Silvey, 677).