Search Results: Authors starting with P from Books of Wonder

LATHROP, Dorothy. Autograph Letter Signed. Albany, NY: January 12, 1937. 4.5" x 5.5" card, folded. Letter is written on the right internal side of the card, with a printed illustration by the artist on the front. Envelope has been cut open at top, bears a 3 cent stamp and a postmark dated "Jan 12, 1937," and bear some light discoloration and edge wear. Handwritten and signed by the author, Caldecott Medalist Dorothy Lathrop.
A wonderful letter of gratitude from Dorothy Lathrop, the first person ever awarded the Caldecott Medal, written the same year her Caldecott Medal-winning book, Animals of the Bible, was published. The author/artist has written her reply on a notecard bearing an image she created of a chipmunk holding a walnut. She is writing to a young fan who had apparently written to her about her love for Lathrop's work. Lathrop goes on to describe the illustration that is featured on the front of the card, explaining that it is of a chipmunk that she had rescued and nurtured back to health… Read More

LATHROP, Dorothy P[ulis]. Animals of the Bible. With text selected by Helen Dean Fish from the King James Bible. NY: Frederick A. Stokes, 1937. 8vo, vi 66pp. Green cloth pictorially stamped in gilt. Pictorial endpapers; 24 full-page and 3 double-page b&w illustrations. Light rubbing to spine ends, else a clean bright, copy in original color pictorial dust jacket (lightly rubbed along spine, corners a tad rubbed, spine lightly sunned). Signed by the author/artist, Caldecott Medalist Dorothy P. Lathrop.
First edition, second state binding and jacket, having the artist's name correctly spelled on the book's and jacket's spines (apparently, this was discovered and corrected before all the first printing sheets were bound). First book to ever win the Caldecott Medal! A collection of tales from both the New and Old Testament featuring the many creatures that appear in the bible. Lathrop's stunning black and white illustrations earned this book the inaugural Caldecott Medal.

TAYLOR, G[raham] P[eter]. Shadowmancer. NY: G.P. Putnam's Sons [2004]. 8vo, x 275pp. Black boards with spine stamped in gold. 1 full-page b&w illustration and 1 full-page b&w map. A fine copy in a fine dust jacket. Signed by the author, G.P. Taylor.
First US edition. The internationally bestselling first book in G.P. Taylor's The Shadowmancer Quartet.

ROBERTSON, M.P. The Egg. London: Frances Lincoln [2000]. 4to, [24]pp. Color pictorial boards. Color pictorial endpapers; color illustrations on every page. A fine copy, without fine dust jacket, as issued. With a bookplate signed by the author/artist, M.P. Robertson, laid-in.
First edition, being issued the year before the US edition. George tends the giant golden egg till it hatches – only to reveal a baby dragon! George knows exactly what to do – a baby dragon needs to learn how to fly, how to breathe fire, and how to defeat a knight – and George is ready to teach him! The dragon learns quickly, but is anxious to find his own kind. When George wakes up one morning to find the little dragon missing, he wonders if he'll ever see his dragon again! The first volume in Robertson's "George Quartet."

PARKER, B[essie]. Out in the Woods. Illustrated by N[ancy] Parker. London: W. & R. Chambers, Limited [1910] Oblong 4to, [56]pp. Color pictorial boards. 16 full-page chromolithographs and b&w illustrations on all other pages. Edges a bit worn, free endpapers lighlty discolored, some slight traces of handsoiling, else a clean, tight copy without the customary scratching to covers found on most copies. Scarce.
First edition. A charming picture book from the early 20th century detailing all of the activities that the forest animals enjoy when they are not being viewed by humans. The lush and vibrant chromolithographs capture the humor and charm of these woodland creatures going about mundane human activities like shopping and going to school. One of the less common titles created by the Parker sisters. Cotsen 8341.

PATERSON, Katherine. Bridge to Terabithia. Illustrated by Donna Diamond. NY: Thomas Y Crowell [1977]. 8vo, [x] 131pp. Black cloth with spine stamped in silver, front cover stamped in blind. 8 full-page and 4 half-page half-tone illustrations. Spine ends and lower corners lightly rubbed; faint, tiny discoloration in midst of front free endpaper; else a fine copy in original color pictorial dust jacket (a fw tiny chips at spine ends, spine a tad sunned, medal affixed). With a bookplate signed by two-time Newbery Medalist Katherine Paterson laid in.
First edition. 1978 Newbery Medal Winner! This moving novel of two friends who create a magical kingdom for themselves to deal with the stresses in their lives has been beloved since its publication. The basis for a 1985 PBS TV movie and the 2007 Disney feature film starring Josh Hutcherson and written by the author's son, David Paterson (whose loss of a dear friend as a child inspired the book).

PATERSON, Katherine. The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks. Illustrated by Leo & Diane Dillon. NY: Lodestar/Dutton [1990]. 4to, [36]pp. Mustard quarter-cloth stamped in gold with brick red boards pictorially stamped in gold. Color pictorial endpapers; color illustrations on every page. Minute bumping to front corners, else a fine copy in original color pictorial dust jacket. Signed by the artists, two-time Caldecott Medalists Leo & Diane Dillon.
First edition. A wonderful retelling of a popular Japanese folktale, wonderfully brought to life in watercolor and pastel paintings in the style of 18th century Japanese woodcuts. A beautiful mandarin duck is captured and caged by a greedy lord who wants to show off the bird's magnificent plumage. But the wild creature pines for his mate. When Yasuko, the kitchen maid, releases the bird against her lord's command, she and the one-eyed servant, Shozo, are sentenced to death. The grateful bird intends to return their kindness, but can he outsmart the cruel lord?

SCHMIDT, Karl Patterson. Homes and Habits of Wild Animals. North American Mammals. Illustrated by Walter Alois Weber. Chicago: M.A. Donohue & Company [1934]. 4to, 64pp. Brown quarter-cloth with color pictorial boards. Pictorial endpapers in brown ink; 12 color plates plus b&w illustrations in the margins of every page. Spine ends, lower edges, and corners worn, upper corners bumped, upper Spine ends and lower edge rubbed, upper corners lightly bumped, bump at top of front board near spine, nonetheless an internally clean, bright copy in original color pictorial dust jacket (some light general edge wear).
First edition. An early 20th century book describing the lives of the mammals native to North America by one of the foremost American zoologists and the former curator of the Field Museum in Chicago. The descriptions are wonderfully highlighted by stunning illustrations by Walter A. Weber, famed illustrator for National Geographic.

CURTIS, Christopher Paul. Bud, Not Buddy. [NY]: Delacorte [1999]. 8vo, x 245pp. Blue boards pictorially stamped in blind and navy spine stamped in bronze. A fine copy in original color pictorial dust jacket. Signed and dated January 19, 2000 by the author, Christopher Paul Curtis.
First edition. 2000 Newberry Medal Winner. Its 1936, in Flint, Michigan, and 10-year-old Bud, not Buddy, Caldwell decides to strike out on his own and find the man he suspects is the father he's never known.

PAVER, Michelle. Wolf Brother. Chronicles of Ancient Darkness. [London]: Orion [2004]. 8vo, [iv] 236pp. Brown boards with spine stamped in gold. Picotiral map endpapers; b&w pictorial chapter headings. A fine copy in a fine dust jacket. Signed by the author, Michelle Paver.
First edition. The first book in Michelle Paver's six-volume Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series. Six thousand years ago, powerful mages stalked the land, threatening to destroy all the forest clans. Only twelve-year-old Torak and his wolf-cub companion stand between them and the people.

BARRY, Dave & PEARSON, Ridley. Peter and the Starcatchers. Illustrations by Greg Call. NY: Hyperion [2004]. 8vo, [xii] 452pp. Color pictorial boards. Pictorial endpapers; 14 full-page half-tone illustrations and eight smaller half-tone illustrations. A fine copy in original color pictorial dust jacket (slight creasing at bottom right of front panel). Signed by the authors, Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson.
First edition. The first book in Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson's five book Peter and the Starcatchers series. A fast-paced, impossible-to-put-down adventure awaits as the young orphan Peter and his mates are dispatched to an island ruled by the evil King Zarboff. They set sail aboard the Never Land, a ship carrying a precious and mysterious trunk in its cargo hold, and the journey quickly becomes fraught with excitement and danger. The basis for the Tony Award-winning Broadway play and the first in a series of 5 books about young Peter Pan.

PERRAULT, Charles. The Histories of Passed Times, or the Tales of Mother Goose. With Morals. A new Edition, to which are added two Novels viz. The Discreet Princess, and the Widow and her two Daughters. Adorned with fine Cuts. Vol. I. London: B. Le Francq, 1785. 12mo, [iv] 189pp. Full calf with spine stamped in gilt; all edges marbled. Marbled endpapers; 8 full-page steel engravings. Binding worn and lightly sprung; front hinge starting; faint, intermittent foxing, else a surprisingly solid, generally clean copy. Scarce.
Volume one of this 1785 bilingual edition, published in London, of the fairy tales of Charles Perrault, having the text in English on the rectos and the French on the verso of each leaf (the French title page appears opposite the one in English). This first volume contains 7 of Perrault's 8 fairy tales – only "Hop O' My Thumb" is not in this volume (it must have appeared in Volume II with the two novels mentioned in the sub-titles above, which were actually written by his niece,… Read More

[PERRAULT, Charles]. Contes des Fées. Imprimés Par Firmin Didot, Ornés d'Estampes gravées par Adrien Godefroy dáprés ses dessins et ceux de C. Chasselat. Paris: Nepveu, [1818]. Oblong 8vo, 112pp. Rebacked in tan cloth with pieces of original spine affixed and with cream boards with pictorial engraving on front. Engraved title plus 10 full-page engravings by Adrien Godefroy, after drawings by himself and Charles Chasselat. Light edge wear with corners lightly bumped, slightest evidence of faint foxing and hand-soiling, else a generally clean, tight, copy.
Second edition, the first having been published in 1810 at a length of just 92 pages. This second edition, according to the catalog of the publisher, Nepveu, was produced at only 445 copies without or with engravings on the cover. Among these, was described only 4 hardback copies: 2 with the figures in black, 2 with the figures colored by hand. Our copy, therefore, would be one of the two rare hardback copies with an engraved cover without hand… Read More

PIERCE, Tamora. In the Hand of the Goddess. NY: Atheneum, 1984. 8vo, [vi] 232pp. Grey cloth pictorially stamped in gold. One-page b&w map. A fine copy in original color pictorial dust jacket (front and rear flaps a tad creased). Signed by the author, Tamora Pierce.
First edition. The second of four books in Pierce's beloved The Song of the Lioness series and the best-selling author's second book. Alanna, still maintaining her disguise as a boy, has become a squire to none other than the heir to the throne. But Prince Jonathan is not only Alanna's liege lord, he is also her best friend — and one of the few who knows the secret of her true identity. When a vicious sorcerer threatens the prince's life, it will take all of Alanna's skill, strength, and magical power to protect him, even at the risk of revealing her secret and surrendering her dream.

Promotional poster for Aesop's Fables by Jerry Pinkney. Measuring 23.5" x 16.5"

THOMPSON, Ruth Plumly. The Purple Prince of Oz. Illustrated by John R. Neill. Chicago: Reilly & Lee [1932]. 8vo, 281pp. Purple cloth with spine stamped pictorially in black and color pictorial paper label affixed to front. Pictorial endpapers; 12 color plates and numerous b&w illustrations. Spine ends lightly rubbed, corners and cover label slightly so, hinges mended, else a clean, tight copy in original color pictorial dust jacket (one-inch chip missing from base of spine panel, some small chips at head of spine and corners, a few clean tears and some creasing, lightly soiled, price-clipped).
First edition, first state, binding A (with publisher's spine imprint in "boldface,") first state dust jacket (listing to this title on rear flap). From the collections of James E. Haff and Fred M. Meyer, both important members and officers of the International Wizard of Oz Club. Prince Randy of Regalia sets out to prove his right to be a royal and makes a genuine trip over the rainbow to Oz in the company of… Read More

THOMPSON, Ruth Plumly. The Princess of Cozytown. Illustrated by Janet Laura Scott. Chicago: P.F. Volland [1922]. 8vo, [93]pp +[2] advts. Color pictorial boards. Color pictorial endpapers; numerous color illustrations. Upper front and lower rear corners rubbed, other corners and spine ends lightly so, discoloration around spine evidently due to chemical reaction with binder's glue, else an internally clean, bright copy in original color pictorial box (cover lightly sunned and a tad soiled, light wear around edges, a few closed tear to the sides, light soiling to the bottom). Scarce in box!
First edition. A collection of six short fairy tales by Ruth Plumly Thompson, L. Frank Baum's successor as author for the Oz series. The second children's book written by Ruth Plumly Thompson, this book was pending publication when Thompson was approached by Reilly & Lee to continue the Oz series, and was published the year after her first Oz novel came out. Featuring bright and lively illustrations, these tales of… Read More

THOMPSON, Ruth Plumly. Typed manuscript with handwritten corrections and comments for an unpublished sequel to The Perhappsy Chaps. 51 letter-sized (8½" x 11") sheets. Sheets of typescript affixed with grommets into construction paper folder with pictorial label affixed to the front. Covers heavily worn with a few large chips and creases, pages aged.
A manuscript by Ruth Plumly Thompson of what appears to be an unpublished sequel to The Perhappsy Chaps, Thompson's first published book, issued by The P.F. Volland Company in 1918. The stories in verse in that book first appeared as on the children's page of the Philadelphia Public Ledger, a weekly newspaper feature written by Thompson. This manuscript consists of seven carbon copy sheets and 44 original typescript pages, comprising 21 stories in verse that do not appear in the published book. A number of the pages have handwritten corrections, comments, or changes. Though none of these were ever published in book form, they may have been published in… Read More

THOMPSON, Ruth Plumly. Pirates in Oz. Illustrated by John R. Neill. Chicago: Reilly & Lee [1931]. 8vo, 280pp. Green cloth with color pictorial cover label, spine pictorially stamped in black. Pictorial endpapers; 12 color plates and numerous b&w illustrations. Spine a bit rubbed at ends; edges, corners, and label slightly so; some faint foxing to endpapers and pages opposite color plates. Nonetheless, still a clean, tight copy with plates still bright.
First edition, binding state A. The 25h book in the Oz series and the 11th written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. The Gnome King attempts to capture the Emerald City and regain his magic belt, much to the horror of Peter, the Philadelphia boy who returns on a flying poetical pig to try to save Oz. Bienvenue p113.

THOMPSON, Ruth Plumly. King Kojo. Illustrated by Marge. Philadelphia: David McKay [1938]. 8vo, 239pp. Brick red cloth with color pictorial label affixed to front and spine stamped in black. Pictorial light blue endpapers; 8 color plates and numerous b&w illustrations. Corners and spine ends rubbed, a few spots on cover label heavily rubbed, spine a tad sunned, pp 7-10 nicked along fore-edge, else a clean, tight copy. With flap of dust jacket laid-in and note of authenticity handwritten by Dorothy Curtiss Maryott, the author's niece. Inscribed by the author, Ruth Plumly Thompson, and – curiously – mistakenly dated 1928, ten years before the book was actually published.
First edition. This is the tale of King Kojo who rules over the land of Oh-Go-Wan (near the Rolantic Ocean) and the adventures that happen there. Brightly illustrated by Marge (of Little Lulu fame). This book, published the year before Thompson's last Oz book for Reilly & Lee, shows how Thompson was looking to expand beyond Oz.