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"Who is the most important person I've ever met in a signing queue & the first person ever to see merit in Harry Potter. With huge [underlined 4 times] thanks. J.K. Rowling": First Edition, First Printing of J.K. Rowling's Rare First Book Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone; Signed by Her
ROWLING, J.K.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
London: Bloomsbury, 1997.
First edition, first printing with all the prerequisite first issue points called for (including “wand” listed twice on page 53). Octavo, original illustrated boards, without a dust jacket as issued. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the dedication page, “to Bryony – who is the most important person I’ve ever met in a signing queue & the first person ever to see merit in Harry Potter. With huge [underlined 4 times] thanks. J.K. Rowling.” The recipient, Bryony Evens worked as an office manager in a small publishing company in Edinburgh, Scotland. In 1995 J.K. Rowling sent the first three chapters of Harry Potter to that publishing company and it would have gone unseen if it wasn’t for Bryony. Bryony read them and fell in love with the story, and encouraged her boss Christopher Little to ask Rowling for the full book. Rowling then sent a full copy to Bryony when it was published by Bloomsbury in 1997. A year later Bryony went to visit Rowling at a book signing event, and when Rowling recognized her she gave her a big hug and wrote a special inscription, or message, in the book she’d brought. In near fine condition with a touch of rubbing to the extremities. Only 500 copies of the first printing were published, with over half making their way to libraries. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. An exceptional association and effusive inscription to the person who first recognized the value of Harry Potter.
Price: $300,000.00 Item Number: 115640
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"ONCE THERE WAS A LITTLE TREE ... AND SHE LOVED A LITTLE BOY"; The Original Manuscript for shel Silverstein's masterpiece The Giving Tree
SILVERSTEIN, Shel.
The Giving Tree Original Autograph Manuscript.
c. 1964.
The original manuscript of one of the most commercially successful children’s books of all time and Shel Silverstein’s most famous work, The Giving Tree, entirely in his had with his publisher’s edits in pencil throughout. Quarto, 38 pasteboard pages with Silverstein’s original ink drawings on paper adhered to each page and Silverstein’s original handwritten text. With numerous revisions by Silverstein, most notably on the final page of the story where Silverstein has changed “and the boy and the tree were happy” to “And the tree was happy.” In very good condition. Lacking pages 2, 3, 4 and 36. A remarkable piece offering exclusive insight into the author/illustrator’s process and furthering the mysterious and ambiguous nature of the widely interpreted story of a selfless tree and her beloved companion.
Price: $125,000.00 Item Number: 116388
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“Don't you know that everybody's got a Fairyland of their own?”: Rare First Edition of Mary Poppins; Signed by P.L. Travers
TRAVERS, P.L.
Mary Poppins.
London: Gerald Howe, 1934.
First edition of this children’s classic. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated with 27 line cuts (13 full-page) and chapter tailpieces by Mary Shepard. Signed by P.L. Travers on the front free endpaper. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with light rubbing and wear to the crown of the spine. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Signed first editions are of exceptional rarity, with none having appeared at auction since the time of publication.
Price: $48,000.00 Item Number: 54060
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Complete Set of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter Deluxe Editions; Each Signed by Her
ROWLING, J.K.
Harry Potter Series Complete Deluxe Set. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix, The Half-Blood Prince, and The Deathly Hallows.
London: Bloomsbury, 1997-2007.
First editions of the deluxe edition of each book in Rowling’s Harry Potter series. Octavo, 7 volumes, original decorative cloth as issued. Each volume is signed by J.K. Rowling and were collected in person by the previous owner. The Prisoner of Azkaban is inscribed. In fine condition. No dust jackets were issued for these volumes. Scarce and desirable.
Price: $35,000.00 Item Number: 81035
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“One day, you will be old enough to start reading fairytales again": COMPLETE FIRST EDITION SET OF C.S. LEWIS' THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA
LEWIS, C. S.
The Chronicles of Narnia Set: The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, The Horse and His Boy, The Magician’s Nephew, The Last Battle.
London: Geoffrey Bles, 1950-1956.
First editions of each book in the author’s classic Chronicles of Narnia series, which has sold over 100 million copies in 47 languages. Octavo, 7 Volumes, illustrated by Pauline Baynes. The set comprises of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, The Horse and His Boy, The Magician’s Nephew, and The Last Battle. Each are in very good to near fine with only light wear in their original dust jackets, with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and The Silver Chair with some professional restoration to the dust jackets. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.
Price: $27,500.00 Item Number: 104558
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"And now," cried Max, "let the wild rumpus start!": First Edition of Where the Wild Things Are; Signed by Maurice Sendak with a Drawing Of Mickey Mouse
SENDAK, Maurice.
Where the Wild Things Are.
New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1963.
First edition in the first-issue dust jacket of one of the scarcest and most desirable books in modern children’s literature. Oblong quarto, original cloth backed pictorial paper boards. Inscribed by Maurice Sendak with a drawing of Mickey Mouse on the half-title page, “For David, Hi! Maurice Sendak May ’80.” It was Walt Disney’s 1940 feature film Fantasia, starring Mickey Mouse, that inspired 12-year old Maurice Sendak to become a cartoonist. Born the same year that the famous anthropomorphic cartoon character made his first appearance in the the 1928 short film Steamboat Willie, Sendak described Mickey Mouse as “the emblem of happiness and funniness [and] the little brother I always wanted” (Romano, 2012). One of the most avid collectors of Mickey Mouse memorabilia, Sendak has noted that early appearances of Mickey in both film and collectible figurines had teeth, which were later omitted as his character became more popular and his more cruel tendencies were transferred to other characters. Sendak’s characters, with plenty of teeth, came to embody not just the adorable and benevolent, but the frightening and dangerous; evoking feelings in the children who read his stories quite unlike those encouraged by the typical illustrated children’s tale. Fine in a near fine first-issue dust jacket. This is the correct first state of the dust jacket with no mention of the Caldecott award, and a $3.50 price at top of front flap. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. An exceptional example, rare and desirable in this condition and with a drawing of the character that inspired Sendak’s career, Mickey Mouse.
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 81145
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First Edition of Eric Carle’s Classic Work The Very Hungry Caterpillar; Signed By The Author With A Drawing of a Caterpillar
CARLE, Eric.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
Cleveland: World Publishing, 1969.
First edition, first printing of Carle’s most recognizable work (with the complete number line 1-5 on the copyright page and A3450 on the rear board) in a first issue dust jacket with two paragraphs on the front flap, photograph of Carle with his two children to the rear flap with blurb mentioning only his first book, “1,2,3 to the Zoo”, The World Publishing Company New York and Cleveland at bottom of both flaps and A3450 on rear flap (Grolier). Oblong quarto, original illustrated boards. Signed by Eric Carle on the title page with an original drawing of a caterpillar. Fine in a near fine price-clipped dust jacket. Signed first editions are exceedingly rare.
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 104589
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"Life is worth living as long as there's a laugh in it": First Edition of Anne of Green Gables in the Rare Brown Cloth
MONTGOMERY, L.M.
Anne of Green Gables.
Boston: L.C. Page, 1908.
First edition dated “April 1908” on the verso of title page. Octavo, original brown cloth, titles to the spine in gilt and front panel. Mounted pictorial label on front panel. Illustrations by M.A. and W.A.J. Claus. First edition copies are generally found in the more common green cloth bindings. (Peter Parley to Penrod, p. 124) In excellent near fine condition, showing some light wear to the extremities and front panel. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.
Price: $22,000.00 Item Number: 2639
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“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye": Signed Limited Edition of Saint-Exupery’s The Little Prince; One of 525 Numbered Copies
SAINT-EXUPERY, Antoine De.
The Little Prince.
New York: Reynal and Hitchcock, 1943.
Signed limited first edition, one of 525 signed numbered copies, this is number 66. Signed by Antoine De Saint-Exupery. Small quarto, original salmon cloth, illustrated. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. A very sharp example.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 99850
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“IT MATTERS NOT WHAT SOMEONE IS BORN, BUT WHAT THEY GROW TO BE": FIRST EDITION OF HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE; INSCRIBED BY J.K. ROWLING TO BRYONY EVENS
ROWLING, J.K.
Harry Potter and the Goblet Of Fire.
London: Bloomsbury, 2000.
First edition of the fourth book in Rowling’s acclaimed Harry Potter series. Octavo, original illustrated boards. Association copy, inscribed by Rowling on the half-title page, “to Bryony, who really did discover Harry Potter J.K. Rowling.” The recipient, Bryony Evens was one of the first people to read the beginning chapters of the first book in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, the first to recognize the work’s inherent value, and perhaps the most instrumental figure in getting the book published. Working at the time at Christopher Little Literary Agency, Evens was the first point of contact in receiving and sorting unsolicited manuscripts. Evens read Rowling’s submission of the first three chapters of the book and passed it along to Little, who approved that she obtain the full manuscript and promote it to suitable publishers. Given a small budget, Evens was only able to print three manuscripts to pitch to publishing houses and, after twelve months and twelve rejections, was finally given the green light by editor Barry Cunningham from Bloomsbury in London. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket illustration by Giles Greenfield. Jacket design by Richard Horne.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 115749
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“AMONG THE BEST EVER WRITTEN FOR CHILDREN”: FIRST EDITIONS OF A.A. MILNE’S FOUR POOH BOOKS, IN ORIGINAL DUST JACKETS; The Winnie the Pooh Signed by Milne
MILNE, A.A.; Illustrated by Ernest Shepard.
The Four Pooh Books: When We Were Very Young; Winnie-The-Pooh; Now We Are Six; The House At Pooh Corner.
London: Methuen & Co., Ltd, 1924-1928.
First editions of each work in Milne’s wonderful Pooh quartet. Octavo, original cloth, pictorial endpapers, top edge gilt. Winnie the Pooh is signed by A.A. Milne on the title page. When We Were Very Young if a first edition, second issue as usual with page ix numbered. Each are fine in very good dust jackets with some loss and wear to the extremities and light toning. Housed in a custom full morocco clamshell box with a morocco inlay of Winnie the Pooh to the front panel. Illustrated by Ernest Shepard. An exceptional set, most rare and desirable with Winnie the Pooh signed by Milne.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 95227
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"We've Dug So Fast And We've Dug So Well That We've Quite Forgotten To Leave A Way Out!": First Edition Of Mike Mulligan And His Steam Shovel; Signed By Virginia Lee Burton
BURTON, Virginia Lee.
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1939.
First edition, first issue with the date of 1939 on the title page. Oblong quarto, original tan cloth. Signed by the author on the half-title page, “greetings from Virginia Lee Burton.” An excellent near fine example in a near fine price-clipped dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Most rare and desirable signed by Virginia Lee Burton.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 2273
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“Don't you know that everybody's got a Fairyland of their own?”: Rare First Edition of Mary Poppins; Signed by P.L. Travers
TRAVERS, P.L.
Mary Poppins.
New York: Reynal & Hitchcock, 1934.
First American edition of this children’s classic. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated with 27 line cuts (13 full-page) and chapter tailpieces by Mary Shepard. Boldly signed by P.L. Travers on the front free endpaper. Very good in a very good dust jacket with some light rubbing and wear. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Rare and desirable signed.
Price: $20,000.00 Item Number: 96590
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“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye": Signed Limited Edition of Saint-Exupery’s The Little Prince; One of 525 Numbered Copies
SAINT-EXUPERY, Antoine De.
The Little Prince.
New York: Reynal and Hitchcock, 1943.
Signed limited first edition, one of 525 signed numbered copies, this is number 236. Signed by Antoine De Saint-Exupery. Small quarto, original salmon cloth, illustrated. Near fine in a very good price-clipped dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.
Price: $19,500.00 Item Number: 102850
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Scarce First Edition, First Printing of L. Frank Baum's The Emerald City of Oz; inscribed by him
BAUM, L. Frank.
The Emerald City of Oz.
Chicago: Reilly & Britton, 1910.
First edition, first state of the sixth Oz book, with the colored pictorial front panel and 16 elaborate full-page color illustrations by John R. Neill. Octavo, original blue cloth, illustrated with 16 color plates with metallic green ink and numerous black & white drawings by John R. Neill. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the the ownership leaf, “Martha Kneedler, Having been presented by her own true lover L. Frank Baum August 1910.” The recipient, Martha Kneedler, was the daughter of Baum’s close personal friend Major William L. Kneedler, a military medical officer who served as President Taft’s personal physician. The inscription was likely in jest as Martha would have been only 16 in 1910. In very good condition with the plates in fine condition. An exquisite example, The Emerald City of Oz was intended to be the final volume in the series, and so Neil embellished his plates with the most elaborate detail of any other volume. Even later printings of the present volume did not include these elaborate designs. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Scarce and desirable. No other inscribed first printing is known to have appeared at auction.
Price: $17,500.00 Item Number: 96123
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First edition, first issue of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets; warmly inscribed by J.K. Rowling
ROWLING, J.K.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
London: Bloomsbury, 1998.
First edition, first issue of the second novel in Rowling’s Harry Potter series. Octavo, original illustrated boards. Association copy, inscribed by J.K. Rowling on the dedication page, “Susie and Emily (a female Fred & George) with best wishes J.K. Rowling.” The recipients, redhead twins Susie and Emily, were family friends of Bryony Evens, whom they accompanied to the Cheltenham Literary Festival where Rowling inscribed the present volume. The inscription refers to Harry Potter character Ron Weasley’s elder twin brothers and fellow redheads, Fred and George. Bryony Evens was one of the first people to read the beginning chapters of the first book in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, the first to recognize the work’s inherent value, and perhaps the most instrumental figure in getting the book published. Working at the time at Christopher Little Literary Agency, Evens was the first point of contact in receiving and sorting unsolicited manuscripts. Evens read Rowling’s submission of the first three chapters of the book and passed it along to Little, who approved that she obtain the full manuscript and promote it to suitable publishers. Given a small budget, Evens was only able to print three manuscripts to pitch to publishing houses and, after twelve months and twelve rejections, was finally given the green light by editor Barry Cunningham from Bloomsbury in London. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with toning to the spine. Jacket design by Cliff Wright. An exceptional association.
Price: $17,500.00 Item Number: 115867
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“Don't let the muggles get you down": First Edition of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban; Signed by J.K. Rowling
ROWLING, J.K.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
London: Bloomsbury, 1999.
First edition, first state of the third novel in Rowling’s acclaimed Harry Potter series. Octavo, original illustrated boards. Boldly signed by J.K. Rowling on the title page. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Cover illustration by Cliff Wright. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.
Price: $17,500.00 Item Number: 97598
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"Once there was a little tree ... and she loved a little boy": Rare First Edition of The Giving Tree; Signed by Shel Silverstein
SILVERSTEIN, Shel.
The Giving Tree.
New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1964.
First edition with all the first issue points to both the book and dust jacket. Octavo, original illustrated boards. Boldly signed by Shel Silverstein on the half-title page. Near fine in a near fine price-clipped first-issue dust jacket with the full torso picture of Shel Silverstein, with hair, covering top left half of back of the dust jacket, three reviews of Lafcadio, by Kirkus. The New York Times and Publisher’s Weekly. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. One of the rarest modern children’s book, exceptionally scarce in this condition and signed.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 106740
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Rare first edition in English of Grimm's fairy tales; bound in full crushed scarlet morocco by Riviere & sons and with 20 full-page etchings by George Cruikshank
GRIMM, Jacob Ludwig Karl and Wilhelm Carl. Illustrated by George Cruikshank.
German Popular Stories, Translated from the Kinder und Haus Marchen, Collected by M.M. Grimm, from Oral Tradition. [ Including: Snow White, Cinderella, Rumpelstiltskin, Hansel and Gretel, and Sleeping Beauty].
London: C. Baldwyn, 1823; James Robins, 1826.
First edition, first issue in English of both volumes of Grimms’ famous fairy tales, including Snow White, Cinderella, Rumpelstiltskin, Hansel and Gretel, and Sleeping Beauty. With the first state of the engraved title page of Volume I, without the umlaut in the word Märchen (“later issues of the first edition of Volume I had the umlauts inserted”— Quayle, 38). Vol. II with the half-title and advertisements. Small octavo, bound in full scarlet crushed morocco by Riviere & Sons with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, triple gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, all edges gilt, illustrated with with two engraved title pages and 20 full-page etchings by George Cruikshank. German Popular Stories was Cruikshank’s first illustrated book. Following the success of this work, he illustrated the works of his friend Charles Dickens. Translated by Edgar Taylor. From the library of banker and rare book collector Frederick Stanhope Peck with his bookplate to the pastedown. Laid in is an original bill of sale from Parke-Bernet Galleries dated April 21-22nd 1947. In fine condition. An exceptional example, with noted provenance, as these have been in a private collection since the 1940s.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 118064
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"I hope that this book ain't so silly and that it will always remain in the cas[s]a": First Edition of Where the Sidewalk Ends, Signed by Shel Silverstein; Inscribed to the Children of His Editor
SILVERSTEIN, Shel.
Where the Sidewalk Ends: Poems and Drawings.
New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1974.
First edition of the author’s first collection of children’s poetry. Stated first edition on the copyright page. Small quarto, original brown cloth, illustrated. Association copy, inscribed by Shel Silverstein with an original poem on the front free endpapers to the children of his editor and publicist William Cole, “For Alex and Rossa and Billy, I hope that this book ain’t so silly and that it will always remain in the cas[s]a (The superfluous ‘s’ has been scribbled out with footnote “Bill Cole’s Incessant Editorial Meddling”) of Billy and Alex Rossa (Not a bad rhyme for three such difficult names and if you don’t read Spanish, Learn it!) Love, Shel Silverstein.” American editor and anthologist William Rossa Cole edited over 50 anthologies of verse for children and adults throughout his career which included tenures at Knopf, Simon & Schuster and Viking, where he had his own imprint. He is thanked by Silverstein at the end of Where the Sidewalk Ends “for his continued encouragement” and many of Silverstein’s poems made their first appearance at Cole’s solicitation. Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. An exceptional association copy.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 91344
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"Goodnight room, goodnight moon": Rare First Edition of Goodnight Moon in the scarce first-issue dust jacket
BROWN, Margaret Wise. Pictures by Clement Hurd.
Goodnight Moon.
New York: Harper & Brothers, 1947.
First edition of one of the most elusive first editions in children’s literature. Octavo, original illustrated boards. Near fine in a very good price-clipped first issue dust jacket with some light professional restoration, lacking any evidence of residue from the ‘Harper Blue Ribbon Book’ sticker which wrapped around the spine in later issue jackets, with the “Little Chicken” listing on the rear flap. Name to the front free endpaper.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 115591
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"I'm wearing a necklace and ear-rings so that the mountains can enjoy looking at them!": Exceptionally rare collection of autograph letters signed by reclusive author P.L. Travers
TRAVERS, P.L.
Collection of P. L. Travers Autograph Letters Signed Archive.
1974-1993.
Exceptionally rare collection of 28 typed and hand written letters and notes signed by the author of Mary Poppins, P. L. Travers. 36 pages, the letters are a collection of 20 years of correspondence between Travers and close personal friends John and Jacqueline Rutherfurd and offer an intimate glimpse into Travers’ personal life and many travels. In one note dated August 10, 1981, Travers writes: “Dear Jaqueline, I write, with a newly overhauled portable (and see how it works and imagine what I will have to say to them when I get back to London!) from Chandolin, the highest lived-in-all-the-year-round village in Europe. Lovely high air and I try to come for a short time every year to get away from London sea level. And I’m wearing a necklace and ear-rings so that the mountains can enjoy looking at them!” Another letter, dated December 20, 1981, reads in part: “I am waiting for a photograph of me that was taken for my new book that is coming out here in the spring…I wish I could say when the book will be out in the U. S. but there are all sorts of goings on there; I’ve rewritten one of the stories, called Bad Tuesday in the first Mary Poppins book as the San Francisco library put it in the index as being ‘insulting to minorities.’” Another letter dated May 7th 1980 reads in part: “That was a lovely poem to have received at three o’clock in the morning, Jacqueline! Truly beautiful…I will certainly keep it. I put special things into books and then come upon them ages after and am refreshed all over again. That is why I don’t lend my books. I’m not going to let others see my letters, my comments in the margins; why let them into my communing with myself?” Additionally included are the original envelopes addressed to the Rutherfurds in Travers’ hand. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. An exceptional collection offering a unique glimpse into the personality of the very private author.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 92809
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"Tesser Well": First Edition of Madeleine L'Engle’s Newbery Award-Winning Novel A Wrinkle In Time; Inscribed by Her
L'ENGLE, Madeleine.
A Wrinkle In Time.
New York: Ariel Books, 1962.
First edition of L’Engle’s Newbery award-winning novel. Octavo, original half blue cloth. Inscribed by the author on the title page, “For Sam, Tesser Well Madeleine L’Engle.” Near fine in a near fine first issue dust jacket that shows some light wear and a closed tear to the front panel. Without the Newbery Award-winning seal to the front panel. Jacket design by Ellen Raskin. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. A very sharp example.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 757
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“NIELSEN’S MOST SPECTACULAR AND CELEBRATED BOOK”: SIGNED LIMITED EDITION OF EAST OF THE SUN AND WEST OF THE MOON
NIELSEN, Kay. Asbjornsen.
East of the Sun West of the Moon: Old Tales from the North.
London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1914.
Signed limited edition of one of the most important and impressive books of the Golden Age of book illustration. One of 500 numbered copies, this is number 41. Quarto, original vellum, gilt titles and decoration to spine and front cover gilt, top edge gilt, pictorial endpapers. Signed by the illustrator Kay Nielsen. With 25 tipped in color plates. In near fine condition. A very nice example. Laid is the original notice for the Leicester Galleries exhibition held in November and December of 1914, where the watercolors for this book were offered for sale.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 69026
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"I know it is wet and the sun is not sunny, but we can have lots of good fun that is funny": First Edition of the Cat In the Hat; Inscribed by Dr. Seuss
SEUSS, Dr. (Theodor Geisel).
The Cat in the Hat.
New York: Random House, 1957.
First edition, first issue of Dr. Seuss’ classic work. Octavo, original illustrated unlaminated boards. Inscribed by the author, “For Ruth Dr. Seuss.” Fine in an excellent dust jacket with light wear. All issue points present: price of 200/200 on the dust jacket, no mention of the “Beginner Books” series on the rear panel, and has four paragraphs of educator’s reviews on rear panel. Book contains a single signature and 61 pages with a message on final page before end paper contained in an outline of the cat’s hat & head. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. A very nice example.
Price: $14,000.00 Item Number: 24005
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"Come right up close to me and I will show you something wonderful": First Edition of James and the Giant Peach; Signed by Roald Dahl and Illustrator Nancy Ekholm Burkert
DAHL, Roald; Illustrated by Nancy Ekholm Burkert.
James and the Giant Peach.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1961.
First edition of this Dahl classic. Octavo, original cloth, beautifully illustrated, many full-page and in color. Boldly signed by Roald Dahl on the front free endpaper and also signed by the illustrator, Nancy Ekholm Burkert on the half-title page. Fine in a near fine dust jacket with a touch of rubbing. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. An exceptional example, most rare and desirable signed by both the author and the illustrator.
Price: $14,000.00 Item Number: 97748
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First Edition of Walt Disney's Fantasia; Inscribed by Disney and with Twelve original drawings
DISNEY, Walt; Deems Taylor .
Walt Disney’s Fantasia. With a Foreword by Leopold Stokowski.
New York: Simon and Schuster, 1940.
First edition of the lavishly illustrated companion volume to Disney’s animated musical masterpiece. Quarto, original cloth, pictorial endpapers, illustrated with 16 mounted color plates. Presentation copy, signed and inscribed by thirteen people (including Walt Disney); all who worked at Walt Disney studios in the 1940s. All of the inscriptions are to Jodie Ferguson Brudge, who was a secretary at Disney Studios, and upon her leaving to get married, raise family, she asked those that she worked with to inscribe her copy of Fantasia. This work contains the following inscriptions and illustrations, inscribed by Walt Disney on the title page, “To Jodie Best Wishes Walt Disney.” Page 10 has an original full-color illustration by Milt Banta of a card game between Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Milt Banta, with the inscription “Best Wishes Always Milt Banta.” Page 14 has a full page original illustration by Russ Dyson of a “ye olde family tree” for the Ferguson [Jodie] and Dyson branches. On the Dyson branch is a self-portrait of Dyson as a bird, with the inscription, “I Hope the Ferguson Branch Doesn’t grow any Larger! Good Luck – Russ Dyson 1/18/46.” Page 57 has an original watercolor of a tree branch and paint container, and the inscription: “Jodie – If you ever run across any automatic paint brushes like these – let me know. – Claude Coats.” Page 82 has a twenty-six line inscription that is warm and thoughtful from Ben [Sharpsteen]. Page 95 has an original color illustration of a frog fishing and the inscription, “An ‘Good Fishin’ to you all the time – Jodie. Hugh Hennesy” Page 102 has an original color illustration of a self-portrait of Bill Berg, with the inscription “Good Bye Jodie – We’ll Miss You!!! Bill Berg.” Page 118 has an original illustration of a self-portrait of Jerry Hathcock waking from a nightmare, with the inscription, “Gad!! What a Nightmare! Maybe Jodie is smart to leave. Good Bye + Good Luck, Jerry Hathcock.” Page 119 has an original illustration of a bouquet of flowers, that has been drawn into the hand/wing of the printed ostrich, with the inscription: “Best Luck and Good Wishes Jodie. Phil Barber.” Page 121 has an original illustration of a self-portrait of J. Eric Gurney who is holding a banner that reads, “Best Wishes to Jodie.” The opposite end of the banner is being held by the printed hippopotamus. Page 126 has an original illustration of a self-portrait of Nick Nichols (being held aloft by the printed elephant), with the inscription: “Bye Bye Jodie Come Back And Work For Me Again. Best Nick Nichols.” Page 159 has an original full-page illustration of Jodie as a centaurette, with the inscription, “G’bye Now. Lots of Luck an’ Stuff to Jodie. George Rowley.” The verso of the rear free endsheet contains an original illustration of a guitar player in a pancho and sombrero with the inscription, ” Good Luck Jodie. William de la Torre.” An excellent example in a very good dust jacket. A unique piece of Disney history.
Price: $14,000.00 Item Number: 96808
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"Once there was a little tree ... and she loved a little boy": Rare First Edition of The Giving Tree; Inscribed by Shel Silverstein
SILVERSTEIN, Shel.
The Giving Tree.
New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1964.
First edition with all the first issue points to both the book and dust jacket. Octavo, original illustrated boards. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page, “For Betsey- With Love Shel Silverstein.” Very good in a very good price-clipped first-issue dust jacket with the full torso picture of Shel Silverstein, with hair, covering top left half of back of the dust jacket, three reviews of Lafcadio, by Kirkus. The New York Times and Publisher’s Weekly. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. One of the rarest modern children’s book, exceptionally scarce in this condition and signed.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 117673
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"I had forgotten how much light there is in the world, till you gave it back to me": First Editions of Each of Book in Ursula Le Guin’s The Wizard of Earthsea Series; Each Volume Signed by Her
LE GUIN, Ursula K. [LeGuin].
The Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan, The Farthest Shore, Tehanu and The Other Wind.
Berkeley: Parnassus, 1968-2001.
First editions, first printings of each of the five novels in Le Guin’s acclaimed Wizard of Earthsea series. Octavo, 5 volumes, original cloth. Each book is signed by Ursula K. Le Guin on the title page. The Wizard of Earthsea is the first issue with the publisher’s faint vertical smudge running through the R in “Wizard” on the title page; that continues through the round symbol and into the second U in “Ursula” below, ending at the I in “drawings”, and the dust jacket priced at $3.95. A Wizard of Earthsea with illustrations by Ruth Robbins; Tombs of Atuan and Farthest Shore with illustrations by Gail Garraty. The Tombs of Atuan is near fine in a near fine dust jacket. The Farthest Shore is near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Tehanu and The Other Wind are fine in fine dust jackets. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. An exceptional set, rare and desirable signed.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 84564
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First Edition of Mary Mapes Dodge's Classic Work Hans Brinker; Inscribed by Her
DODGE, Mary Mapes.
Hans Brinker Or, The Silver Skates. A Story of Life in Holland.
New York: James O'Kane, 1866.
First edition of the author’s second and best known work. Octavo, original green cloth, gilt titles to the spine. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page, “Presented to Robert Dale Owen by the author January, 1866.” The recipient Robert Dale Owen was responsible for introducing the legislation to establish the Smithsonian. He represented Indiana in the U.S. House of Representatives (1843–47). As a member of Congress, Owen successfully pushed through the bill that established Smithsonian Institution and served on the Institution’s first Board of Regents. Owen also served as a delegate to the Indiana Constitutional Convention in 1850 and was appointed as U.S. minister (Chargé d’Affaires (1853–58) to Naples. Illustrated by F.O.C. Darley and Thomas Nast. In very good condition with some dampstaining to the rear board. First editions are scarce, presentation copies are rare signed.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 76002
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“Hope springs forever": Rare Limited First Edition of J.K. Rowling's The Tales of Beedle the Bard; One of 100 Numbered Copies Signed by Her
ROWLING, J.K.
The Tales of Beedle the Bard. Translated from the Original Runes by Hermione Granger. With Commentary by Professor Albus Dumbledore.
London: The Children's High Level Group, 2008.
First edition, limited issue of this wizarding classic. Signed by J.K. Rowling on the half-title page, with the authentication hologram, number 95 of a 100 numbered copies. Octavo, original brown morocco-patterned boards with silver metal cornerpieces and central ornament accented with faux blue gems, silver metal clasp, marbled endpapers, green silk bookmark, illustrated. Housed in the embroidered velvet bag within the publisher’s calf case with gilt titles and tooling to the spine and with the original pull-off slipcase which reads ‘This Side Up’. This specially bound edition includes a portfolio of ten additional prints by Rowling that were not issued with the trade or the manuscript editions.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 112492
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"A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others": First Edition of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
BAUM, L. Frank; Illustrated by W.W. Denslow.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Chicago & New York: George M. Hill & Company, 1900.
First edition, second state of “the first truly enduring American fantasy” (Connolly, 38). Octavo, original pictorial green cloth, illustrated by W.W. Denslow with 24 color plates, many illustrations in text, and on paste-downs (issued without endpapers). Hanff & Greene I, state 2 of text and plates, binding variant B with un-serifed red publisher’s imprint at foot of spine; Peter Parley to Penrod, state Z, title state C/D. In very good condition with some professional restoration to the joints. Housed in a custom half morocco and chemise box.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 102548
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"In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines Lived twelve little girls in two straight lines...": First Edition of Madeline; Signed by Ludwig Bemelmans
BEMELMANS, Ludwig.
Madeline.
New York: Simon and Schuster, 1939.
First edition with the 1939 date on the title page and with 12 girls instead of 11 in the “They went home and broke their bread” illustration. Thin folio, original illustrated boards, color illustrations throughout, illustrated endpapers. Boldly signed by Ludwig Bemelmans on the front free endpaper. An excellent example in a very good dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Rare and desirable signed.
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 82390
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First Edition of Roald Dahl's The Gremlins; Inscribed by Him in the Year of Publication
DAHL, Roald; Walt Disney.
The Gremlins. From the Walt Disney Production. A Royal Air Force Story.
New York: Random House, 1943.
First edition of Dahl’s rare first book, with 14 vibrant full-page illustrations by Walt Disney Productions. Quarto, original half cloth, pictorial endpapers. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page in the year of publication, “To Tim xxx from Roald Dahl 19/6/43 There should be a bowler hat and a tail.” Dahl has added a drawing of a hat and a tail on the gremlin. In near fine condition. Rare and desirable signed and inscribed in the year of publication.
Price: $12,000.00 Item Number: 73076
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"One winter morning Peter woke up and looked out the window. Snow had fallen during the night. It covered everything as far as he could see": First Edition of Ezra Jack Keats' The Snowy Day; In the Rare Original Dust Jacket
KEATS, Ezra Jack.
The Snowy Day.
New York: The Viking Press, 1962.
First edition of The Snowy Day, which is considered “one of the most important American books of the 20th century” (Diefendorf, ed. The New York Public Library’s Books of the Century). Oblong quarto, original pictorial cloth as issued. Fine in a very good first-issue dust jacket with the prerequisite $3.00 price on the dust jacket and no mention of this title winning the Caldecott Medal (the second and subsequent printings mention this on the front flap of the jacket) and without patterned interior front and rear flaps that mimicked the snowflake patterns of the endpapers in later printings. Although the Caldecott Medal is affixed to the dust jacket cover, this was due to the common practice of book sellers who adhered the sticker for marketing purposes after the Caldecott was awarded. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. First printings in the original dust jacket are of the utmost rarity.
Price: $12,000.00 Item Number: 81169
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“Hope springs forever": Rare Limited First Edition of J.K. Rowling's The Tales of Beedle the Bard; Signed by Her
ROWLING, J.K.
The Tales of Beedle the Bard. Translated from the Original Runes by Hermione Granger. With Commentary by Professor Albus Dumbledore.
London: The Children's High Level Group, 2008.
First edition, limited issue of this wizarding classic. Signed by J.K. Rowling on the half-title page, with the authentication hologram. Octavo, original brown morocco-patterned boards with silver metal cornerpieces and central ornament accented with faux blue gems, silver metal clasp, marbled endpapers, green silk bookmark, illustrated. Housed in the embroidered velvet bag within the publisher’s calf case with gilt titles and tooling to the spine and with the original pull-off slipcase which reads ‘This Side Up’. This specially bound edition includes a portfolio of ten additional prints by Rowling that were not issued with the trade or the manuscript editions. Rare and desirable signed, as there was only one book signing event held at the National Library of Scotland. Two hundred children selected through a lottery attended the signing.
Price: $11,000.00 Item Number: 104144
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"It was some time during the battle of Britain, when Hurricanes and Spitfires were up from dawn to dark and the noise of battle was heard all day in the sky": First Edition of The Gremlins; Inscribed by Walt Disney
DAHL, Roald; Walt Disney.
The Gremlins. From the Walt Disney Production. A Royal Air Force Story.
New York: Random House, 1943.
First edition of Dahl’s rare first book, with 14 vibrant full-page illustrations by Walt Disney Productions. Quarto, original half cloth, pictorial endpapers. Presentation copy, inscribed by Walt Disney on the half-title page, “To Joan With Best Wishes Walt Disney.” In near fine condition. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box.
Price: $11,000.00 Item Number: 103458
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"For the children, they mark, and the children, they know the place where the sidewalk ends": Rare First Edition of Where the Sidewalk Ends, Signed by Shel Silverstein
SILVERSTEIN, Shel.
Where the Sidewalk Ends: Poems and Drawings.
New York: Harper & Row, 1974.
First edition of the author’s first collection of children’s poetry. Stated first edition on the copyright page. Small quarto, original brown cloth, illustrated. Signed by Shel Silverstein on the front free endpaper. Fine in a near fine price-clipped dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Rare and desirable, especially signed.
Price: $10,500.00 Item Number: 108245
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FIRST EDITION OF MARK TWAIN'S ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN
TWAIN, Mark. [Samuel L. Clemens].
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
New York: Charles L. Webster and Company, 1885.
First edition of Mark Twain’s masterpiece. Octavo, original publisher’s decorated green cloth, with 174 illustrations by Edward W. Kemble. Contains all of the agreed upon first issue points for the clothbound book: page 9 with “Decided” remaining uncorrected (to “Decides”); page 13, illustration captioned “Him and another Man” listed as on page 88; page 57, 11th line from bottom reads “with the was,” instead of “with the saw”. Other points of bibliographical interest included in this copy are the frontispiece portrait with the cloth table cover under the bust, bearing the Heliotype Printing Co. imprint; copyright page dated 1884; page 143 with “l” missing from “Col.” at top of illustration and with broken “b” in “body” on line seven; page 155 with a larger final “5”; page 161, no signature mark “11”. As to issue points resulting from damaged plates (e.g. the dropped “5” on p 155), MacDonnell concludes, “they are of no significance in determining the sequence of the printing of the sheets. All of these occur at random in relation to each other within copies of the first printing, a strong indicator of the use of multiple plates, and possibly mixed sheets within the collating process” (“Huck Finn” Firsts Magazine). In near fine condition with light rubbing to the extremities. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box with elaborate gilt tooling to the spine. An exceptional example.
Price: $10,500.00 Item Number: 117039
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First Edition of Ludwig Bemelmans Madeline; Signed by Him with a drawing
BEMELMANS, Ludwig.
Madeline.
New York: Simon and Schuster, 1939.
First edition with the 1939 date on the title page of the first book in the Madeline series. Thin folio, original illustrated boards, color illustrations throughout, illustrated endpapers. Signed and dated by the author who has added a drawing of Madeline opposite the title page, Ludwig Bemelmans Hollywood 1946.” Near fine in a near fine dust jacket with light rubbing. A superior example of a book that is prone to wear.
Price: $9,800.00 Item Number: 114734