A BEAR CALLED PADDINGTON, FIRST EDITION, INSCRIBED BY MICHAEL BOND

BOND, Michael. A Bear Called Paddington. London: Collins, 1958. Octavo, original rose cloth, original dust jacket. Housed in a custom clamshell box. $8200.

Scarce first edition of readers’ introduction to “a very rare sort of bear” from the heart of darkest Peru, inscribed by the author on title page, “To David, with all good wishes, Michael Bond, 7th December 2010.”

"Ideal fare for young children" (Eyre, 70). "Paddington's appeal came not only from the hilarious situations and mishaps in which he found himself… but also from Peggy Fortnum's pen-and-ink sketches, which capture Paddington's bewitching charm and combination 'little boy/small bear' character… Bond's books recognize the everyday worries of small, accident-prone children and treat their fears with compassion, wit and laughter" (Silvey, 70-71). Connolly, 60.

Light foxing to first and final few leaves. Bright dust jacket with light rubbing to spine ends, a few short closed tears. A near-fine copy of a charming and scarce modern children's classic, desirable inscribed by Bond.