FIRST EDITION OF MAYBELLE THE CABLE CAR, SIGNED BY VIRGINIA LEE BURTON

BURTON, Virginia Lee. Maybelle the Cable Car. [Boston]: Houghton Mifflin, 1952. Quarto, original light green cloth, pictorial endpapers, original dust jacket.    $1750.

First edition of this tale of a San Francisco streetcar, signed on the title page by Virginia Lee Burton.

“Taking her cue from her small sons, Aristides and Michael, Burton chose subjects that would intrigue children… Her books have heroes and heroines children can understand and enjoy, ingenious and satisfactory endings, and lively illustrations. The books survive because they exhibit so effectively the elements most basic to children’s literature” (Silvey, 109-10). Burton dedicated this tale of a San Francisco streetcar to Frieda Klussman, “leading light in the fight to save [cable cars] from extinction.” When Mayor Roger Lapham proposed replacing the cable cars with buses in 1947, Klussman initiated an ultimately successful campaign to prevent the action. Owner signature to title page, not affecting Burton’s signature.

Small closed tears to pages [v]-2, 7-8. Cloth with light rubbing to spine ends and edges. Price-clipped dust jacket with light dampstaining to spine, shallow chipping to spine ends, a few short closed tears. An extremely good signed copy.