THE STORY OF FERDINAND, WARMLY INSCRIBED BY MUNRO LEAF WITH LOVELY ORIGINAL INK SKETCHES

LEAF, Munro. The Story of Ferdinand. Illustrated by Robert Lawson. (New York): Viking, (1946). Square octavo, original pictorial cloth, original pictorial dust jacket. $3800.

Later printing, wonderfully inscribed by Munro Leaf: “For Mildred all best wishes of Ferdinand and Munro Leaf.” Next to each name in the inscription Leaf has sketched in ink a representative face, including his own and that of Ferdinand.

Ferdinand was the first collaborative effort by Leaf and Lawson. "It is dynamic text and no less vital picturization" (Bader, 145). "This is perhaps one of the finest twentieth-century examples of the inspired wedding of a text and illustrations to make a children's book that as a whole is even greater than the sum of its parts" (Early Children's Books and Their Illustrations, 251). First published in 1936. The book is 20th printing; the dust jacket is 17th.

Book fine, dust jacket with small tear to rear panel, closed tear to foot of spine, toning to spine. An extremely good copy, delightfully inscribed.