"AND THEY TUCKED HIM IN BED ALL SOFT AND WARM": FIRST EDITION OF MARGARET WISE BROWN'S BELOVED LITTLE FUR FAMILY, 1946, WITH COLOR ILLUSTRATIONS BY GARTH WILLIAMS, A LOVELY COPY BOUND IN RABBIT FUR, IN ORIGINAL PICTORIAL BOX

BROWN, Margaret Wise. Little Fur Family. New York: Harper Brothers, 1946. 12mo, original full rabbit fur, original cardboard box. $2000.

First edition of this classic tale by Brown—"one of the most revered authors in children’s literature"—with full color illustrations by Garth Williams, bound in rabbit fur, a splendid copy in the original illustrated box.

Known as "'the laureate of the nursery… Brown remains among the most beloved—and best-selling—children's authors of all time" (Washington Post). Little Fur Family, her most whimsically designed book, follows the adventures of a "little fur animal" as he explores his world. "Brown wrote in the first real 'golden age' of American children's books, as a contemporary of Dr. Seuss and the young newcomer, Maurice Sendak. In truth, she virtually re-invented the picture book" (Chicago Tribune). "Brown's pioneering efforts have allowed her to become one of the most revered authors in children's literature… Joseph Stanton has asserted that 'the simplicity of Brown's picture-book-length poems and the rightness of the pictures that visualize them have made these unpretentious little books into important artistic events in the lives of innumerable children and their parents" (Hurd, "Remembering Margaret Wise Brown"). Especially famed "for the lyrical poetry of her texts… Brown has left an enduring legacy for us and the generations to come" (New York Times). Beautifully illustrated in full color by Garth Williams, of Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little fame, this first edition is bound in real rabbit fur. "The diminutive 1946 rabbit-fur-bound edition had proven difficult to store (moths got into Harper's warehouse, destroying a large quantity of the first printing)" (Marcus, 33). Consequently later editions had imitation fur or no fur at all. In original publisher's illustrated box with circular cut-out, through which real fur shows. Later editions were also larger than this edition, as its small size made it difficult for libraries to carry on their shelves.

Lightest rubbing to original box. A fine copy.