THE VELVETEEN RABBIT by Williams, Margery [Bianco, Margery Williams] - 1922

New York & London: George H. Doran & Heinemann, 1922. First edition. Fine in very good plus jacket.. First printing, American issue, of the beloved children's classic, the only printing with the dazzling original color lithographs by Nicholson. This book captures the wistful attachment to our childhood toys through the story of a stuffed rabbit that hopes the love of its owner can make it real. It is one of the great collaborations in modern children's books, with the lithographs and the text equally invoking bittersweet affection: "You were Real to the Boy [...] because he loved you." Later printings did not use lithography to produce Nicholson's drawings, making the first printing especially distinctive in the quality of its lustrous illustrations. This is a remarkable copy of "one of the first 37252_modern picture books, a perfect combination of story and pictures" (Mahony). Scarce, and even moreso in the unrestored original dust jacket. 9.5'' x 7''. Original pictorial paper boards. Original pictorial dust jacket. Color pictorial rabbit endpapers. Illustrated with 4 full-page and 3 double-page color lithographs. [8], 19, [1] pages. Housed in a custom full leather clamshell box. Except for a very slight bit of rubbing to head of spine, the book is in truly fine condition, in bright and clean pictorial dust jacket with 1'' chip at foot of spine, some mild fraying at folds, and a few short closed tears.