Rare books from Books of Wonder

CADY, Harrison. "Mr. Snail: 'Wow! Here I started out to call on that pretty little Miss Pollywog and now by the time I arrive just look at her." Watercolor and ink on board. Matted and framed. The image measures 14½" x 11¾" in a 21" x 18" frame. Image has light staining at lower left, and a 2" closed tear just above signature at lower right. Signed in lower right corner, and captioned in Cady's hand.
Original illustration published as a cartoon on page 36 of The American Boy, June 1915. A classic Harrison Cady image capturing his sly humor and love of the natural world. Best-known for illustrating the many Thorton Burgess Mother West Windbooks, Cady is a true American original.

DILLON, Leo & Diane. Original Artwork for the covers of The Iliad and The Odyssey. 2 paintings, each being mixed media artwork on board created for the 1969 Washington Square Press paperback editions of Homer's epics The Iliad and The Odyssey. Each image measures 9.5" x 18" and was done on paper laid on 23½" x 15½" boards. Both pieces are signed in the lower left corner.
These two pieces are great representations of the fantastic cover style employed by the Dillons in the late 60s and early 70s, which resulted in their numerous commissions for science fiction and fantasy covers as well as their award winning work in children's books. Leo & Diane Dillon received the Hugo Award for Profession Artist in 1971, are the only artists to win the coveted Caldecott Medal two years in a row (1976 and 1977), and were runners up for the Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 1978. We are selling these two paintings as a pair.

POTTER, Beatrix. Autograph Letter Signed. Single sheet (7¾" x 6") written on both sides and folded in half. Some light staining at bottom edge, sheet lightly aged.
The letter reads as follows:
"Jan. 21, [19]12
My Dear Phyllis,
You have written me such a dear little letter about Fluffy. I feel quite sad to disappoint you – I have begun another book about the fox! If I can do another book that Fluffy can come in to – I promise to remember him and ask for his picture again. You don't know what heaps of letters I get from all over the world, and so many of them want a book about some special animal. There was a letter lately from a child in Wales who wants a book about a crocodile called Amelia! That I cannot stand! Then there is a small boy in Ireland who wants to know if Jeremy Fisher ever got married. And two want moles, & another wants a donkey named Salome, & another wants a horse book, and another wants hens, & another wants elephants – poor Miss Potter!
Fluffy is a very reasonable request by… Read More

LAWSON, Robert March of Progress. [New York: printed by the Artist, ca. 1928]. Etching on hand-made paper (Image being 9 3/4 x 7 15/16 inches on 10 3/4 x 9 inch sheet). Signed by Lawson in pencil under the lower right side of the etching, while under the lower left side is hand-written "Ed. 100." Tape affixed to upper corners, but leaving a full quarter-inch of margin above etching unaffected.
A wonderful etching by the only person to win both a Newberry and Caldecott medal. The etching features a solemn procession of elves, gnomes, goblins and fawns led by a lone wolf, preparing to leave Central Park as modern society encroaches on their pastoral territory. The NYC skyline, seen clearly in the background, is of the corner of 59th Street and Fifth Avenue, with the Nederlander and Hotel Pierre clearly delineated.. Before achieving success as a popular book illustrator, Lawson survived during the late 1920s creating etchings in small quantities: giving artificial limitations of "Ed.50" or "Ed.100" but… Read More

SEUSS, Dr. The Cat in the Hat. [NY]: Random House [1957]. 8vo, [ii] 62pp. Color pictorial boards. Color pictorial endpapers; color illustrations on every page. Minute wear to spine ends and corners, slight foxing to interior edges of boards, hinges mended, else a clean, bright copy in original color pictorial dust jacket (light wear to corners and edges, minute scratching to front and some light soiling to rear).
First edition, first state (Younger/Hirsch #7). Challenged by Josh Hersey to create a basic reader that would be far more appealing to children than "Dick and Jane" and other such standard fare, Seuss created a classic that sold over a million copies in its first few years and went on to become one of the most beloved children's books of the 20th century. Named to both School Library Journal's Top 100 Picture Books of all time and The National Education Association's list of Teacher's Top 100 Books for children, it would be hard to find an American child or adult today who did not know The… Read More

[RACKHAM, Arthur]. The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm. Illustrated by Arthur Rackham. Translated by Mrs. Edgar Lucas. London: Constable & Company, 1909. 4to, xvi 326pp. Velum pictorially stamped in gilt; t.e.g. 40 mounted color plates with tissue guards and numerous b&w illustrations. Spine lightly sunned, light rubbing to covers, silk ties missing, plate at frontispiece bearing small crease at lower right corner, else a remarkably bright, tight copy in custom-made slipcase (a bit worn). Signed by the artist, Arthur Rackham.
First edition, limited issue, being one of 750 copies signed by the artist. A wonderful collection of fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm featuring the spectacular illustrations of Arthur Rackham. This is the subject matter that brought out the best in Rackham. A lavishly illustrated limited edition and a showpiece for any collection!

DAHL, Roald. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Illustrated by Joseph Schindelman. NY: Alfred A. Knopf [1964]. 8vo, [xii] 164pp. Red cloth with spine stamped in gold and front cover in blind; top edge red. Mustard endpapers; b&w illustrations throughout. Slightest wear to corners and spine ends, else a remarkably fine copy in original color pictorial dust jacket (some minor wear along top and bottom edges). With a bookplate signed by the author, Roald Dahl, laid-in.
First edition, bearing the six-line colophon. Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory is opening at last! But only five lucky children will be allowed inside. Charlie Bucket dreams of being one of the five, but he can't even afford the chocolate that contains the golden tickets. But when by a great stroke of luck he ends up with the fifth and final ticket, he finds himself on the adventure of a lifetime! The basis for two major motion pictures.

[LEAR, Edward].
A Book of Nonsense by Derry Down Derry. [London: T. McLean, 1855]. Oblong 8vo, [73] leaves. Blue cloth with spine stamped in gilt. Pale yellow endpapers; hand-lithographed illustrations on every page. Hinges (outer and inner) expertly mended, light edgewear, cloth lightly soiled and rubbed, slight foxing throughout, else a clean, tight copy of this exceedingly rare book.
Second edition, being a privately printed one-volume edition that combined both volumes of the first edition AND being the first appearance of Lear's wonderfully whimsical rhymes in the familiar five-line limerick format. "Lear made new lithographic stones for this second edition, which may be rarer than the first" (Gordon N. Ray, The Illustrator and the Book in England from 1790 to 1914). The edition has no publishing information or author listed, simply bearing the first limerick (There was an Old Derry Down Derry) under an illustration which features the book's title (Ray notes that this title, appearing shortly… Read More

[LEAR, Edward]. A Book of Nonsense by Derry Down Derry. [London: T. McLean, 1855]. Oblong 8vo, [73] leaves. Blue cloth with spine stamped in gilt. Pale yellow endpapers; hand-lithographed illustrations on every page. Hinges (outer and inner) expertly mended, light edgewear, cloth lightly soiled and rubbed, slight foxing throughout, else a clean, tight copy of this exceedingly rare book.
Second edition, being a privately printed one-volume edition that combined both volumes of the first edition AND being the first appearance of Lear's wonderfully whimsical rhymes in the familiar five-line limerick format. "Lear made new lithographic stones for this second edition, which may be rarer than the first" (Gordon N. Ray, The Illustrator and the Book in England from 1790 to 1914). The edition has no publishing information or author listed, simply bearing the first limerick (There was an Old Derry Down Derry) under an illustration which features the book's title (Ray notes that this title, appearing shortly… Read More

SHORTALL, Leonard. A Mystery for Mr. Bass Book Cover. Original gauche on board. Image measures 7.5" x 9.25" on a 11" x 13.25" board. Initialed by the artist, Leonard Shortall, at the lower right.
Original illustration for the cover of A Mystery for Mr. Bass by Eleanor Cameron [NY: Little, Brown, 1958]. The cover illustration for the fourth book in Eleanor Cameron's five-volume series about The Mushroom Planet created by artist Leonard Shortall who is also well-known for illustrating many of the classic Encyclopedia Brown books. This delightful illustration features Tyco Bass of the Mushroom Planet descending from his spaceship and perfectly captures the combination of fun, humor, 1950's sci-fi, and magic that made these books so irresistible!

CRUIKSHANK, George. George Cruikshank's Fairy Library. Puss in Boots. Hop O' My Thumb. Jack & the Bean-stalk. Cinderella. London: Routledge, Warne, & Routledge (ca. 1864). 8vo, [143]pp: Title followed by 4 separately paginated volumes bound together: Puss in Boots 40pp; Hop O' My Thumb [iv] 30pp; Jack & the Beanstalk [ii] 32pp; Cinderella; [ii] 31pp. Red cloth pictorially stamped in gilt and blind. Cream endpapers; 24 b&w plates. Corners and spine ends lightly rubbed, two small indentations on foredge of rear cover (probably from having been strapped together with other volumes), slight soiling to covers, slight traces of handsoiling to a few leaves, else a clean, tight copy. Inscribed by the artist, George Cruikshank!
First edition, being a bind-up of four previously published fairy tales which were issued individually, each with its own green cardboard cover. A wonderful bind-up of some of Cruikshank's most joyful and exuberant work, featuring four classic fairy tales originally issued individually.… Read More

LEAF, Munro. The Story of Ferdinand. Illustrated by Robert Lawson. NY: Viking Press, 1936. 8vo, [72]pp. Beige quarter-cloth stamped in red with two-color pictorial boards. Pictorial endpapers; b&w illustrations on every other page. Spine ends and corners a bit rubbed, bookseller's stamp on front free endpaper, else a clean, tight copy in original color pictorial dust jacket (spine ends and corners a tad chipped, a small closed tear at top of front panel and another at the bottom, spine a bit sunned).
First edition. The beloved classic tale of a peaceful bull who just wants to sit under his favorite cork tree and smell the flowers. Lawson and Leaf's beloved tale has delighted readers for nearly a century, and this scarce first edition is a wonderful addition to any collection of children's literature. The basis for the 1938 animated short and the 2017 feature film. A cornerstone for any great collection of children's books.

COOPER, Susan. The Dark is Rising Sequence. As follows:
Over Sea, Under Stone. Illustrated by Margery Gil. London: Jonathan Cape [1965]. 12mo; 252pp. Purple boards with spine stamped in gold foil. 4 double-page and 10 full-page b&w illustrations. Slight damp-stain at fore-edge of first and last few sheets, light foxing to fore-edge, top, and bottom edges of sheets, 6 neatly written lines of hand notations at top of rear fixed endpaper, else a clean, tight copy in original color pictorial dust jacket (slight evidence of dampstaining to folds, spine ends lightly rubbed, spine a tad sunned). With a bookplate signed by the author, Susan Cooper, laid in. Rare.
and
The Dark is Rising. Illustrations by Alan E. Cober. NY: Atheneum, 1973. 8vo, [xii] 217pp. Black cloth with spine stamped in copper foil. Red endpapers, 3 double-page b&w illustrations. Spine ends and corners a tad rubbed, else a fine copy in original color pictorial dust jacket (light edgewear, no medal affixed). 1974 Newbery Honor Book. With a… Read More

DE SAINT-EXUPERY, Antoine. The Little Prince. NY: Reynal & Hitchcock [1943]. 8vo, 92pp. Pinkish-brown cloth pictorially stamped in brick-red. Color illustrations throughout. Spine ends and corners minutely rubbed, else a fine copy in original color pictorial dust jacket (price-clipped, faint evidence of sticker removal from spine, lightly rubbed along edges, slightest edgewear, lightly soiled). Nonetheless, a remarkably attractive, bright copy – quite the nicest we've seen in many years.
First edition. The beloved tale of a pilot who encounters a young prince from a small planet who has come to Earth and regales the pilot with stories of his adventures. Though the author was French, due to the occupation of Paris by the Nazis when the book was issued, it was published in America simultaneously in English and French editions.

BAUM, L. Frank. The Wizard of Oz. Line Illustrations by W. W. Denslow. 8 Colour Stills from the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Film. London: Hutchinson and Co. (1940). 4to, [vi] 208pp. Color pictorial boards. 8 color movie stills and numerous line drawings. Spine ends and corners lightly rubbed, lightest soiling to top of front and rear boards, edges of sheets a tad foxed, else an internally clean, bright copy in original color pictorial dust jacket (lightly soiled, 1" closed tear at head of spine, traces of edgewear).
First UK MGM movie edition. The only film edition of Baum's classic novel issued during the film's original release with color stills from the movie! A wonderful edition of The Wizard of Oz in an exceedingly scarce dust jacket. By far, the nicest copy of this much sought-after edition we have seen in many, many years.