March 2021 Catalogue

59 I m a g i n e d W o r l d s E a r l y M a r c h 2 0 2 1 “The Truth Of The Matter Was, The Baby Looked Very Much Like A Mouse In Every Way” 57. WHITE, E.B. Stuart Little. New York and London, 1945. Octavo, original pictorial olive cloth, dust jacket. $1800. Click for more info First edition of White’s “outstandingly funny and sometimes touching” (Carpenter & Prichard, 568) first book for children. “The story had been brewing with White for years as a disconnected series of bedtime tales for his nieces and nephews by the time it came to Harper. There, shepherded by the distinguished editor Ursula Nordstrom and felicitously illustrated [with 87 drawings] by Garth Williams, the book was eventually published-generally to high acclaim… The book sounds a resonant note as Stuart undertakes his quest for the beautiful bird, Margalo. And that quest, as White himself noted, ‘symbolizes the continuing journey that everybody takes—in search of what is perfect and unattainable. This is perhaps too elusive an idea to put into a children’s book, but I put it in anyway” (Silvey, 677). A lovely, about-fine copy. “Just About Perfect, And Just Magical In The Way It Is Done” (Eudora Welty) 58. WHITE, E.B. Charlotte’s Web. New York, 1952. Octavo, original beige cloth, dust jacket. $4200. Click for more info First edition of one of the most delightful and beloved children’s books, a cornerstone of any collection of modern children’s literature. The most celebrated of White’s three children’s books, “ Charlotte’s Web is rightly regarded as a modern classic” (Connolly, 322-23). With numerous endearing illustrations by Garth Williams. Book fine, dust jacket with mildly toned spine, front panel bright and lovely, near-fine.