“WHAT FUN FOR A GIRL TO GO TO THE FAIR! A LUCKY PENNY WILL BRING YOU LUCK”: THE CHILDREN’S CLASSIC MEI LI, SIGNED BY THOMAS HANDFORTH

HANDFORTH, Thomas. Mei Li. New York: Junior Books/Doubleday Doran, 1938. Slim folio, original orange cloth gilt, pictorial endpapers. $1200.

First edition of this 1939 Caldecott Medal winner, signed by Handforth.

Young Mei Li sneeks out to attend the New Year Fair in the city, but must get home in time to greet the Kitchen God in this delightful look at pre-Communist Chinese culture. Handforth traveled to China in 1931 on a Guggenheim Fellowship and decided to stay there. With beautiful copperplate illustrations. Without original dust jacket.

Interior fine, near-fine cloth binding lightly soiled at edges.