Children's Catalogue 2024

Children's Catalogue 2024

Browse our selection of children's books from our latest catalogue

"ONE OF THE MOST DURABLE WORKS IN AMERICAN LITERATURE"

TWAIN, Mark. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Hartford, 1876.

First American edition, first state of one of the great masterpieces of American literature and a true touchstone of American childhood, in the exceptionally rare publisher's morocco binding. An essential addition to any Mark Twain collection. Only 200 copies were issued in the publisher's three-quarter morocco binding. $69,000.

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“THE DEAREST AND MOST LOVABLE CHILD IN FICTION SINCE THE IMMORTAL ALICE” (MARK TWAIN)

MONTGOMERY, Lucy Maud. Anne of Green Gables. Boston, 1908. First edition, first issue, of Montgomery’s first novel, illustrated with eight plates by M.A. and W.A.J. Claus. $27,000.

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“A BOOK… WHICH WILL BELONG TO ALL THE GENERATIONS… UNTIL THE LANGUAGE BECOMES OBSOLETE”

CARROLL, Lewis. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. London, 1866, 1872.

First authorized English edition of Carroll’s cherished romp through the realm of nonsense, illustrated with 42 engravings by John Tenniel, handsomely bound by Riviere & Son, with original cloth-gilt at rear. $14,500.

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ROALD DAHL'S RARE FIRST BOOK, TWICE INSCRIBED

DAHL, Roald. The Gremlins. New York, 1943.

Presentation first edition of Dahl's rare first book, with 14 vibrant full-page illustrations by Walt Disney Productions, twice inscribed by him: on the half title, "To Joe and Steve with love from Roald Dahl 10/5/47," and opposite the half title, "One by one a cow came by/ Howling around for the moon/ They asked me where the hell it was/ I said it's gone you dopes—you're much too soon. R." An exceptionally elusive and desirable Dahl first edition in any condition, particularly in the original dust jacket and inscribed by him. $13,500.

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SIGNED BY MARGARET WISE BROWN

BROWN, Margaret Wise. Little Fur Family. New York, 1946.

Rare first edition, bound in rabbit fur, with the original illustrated box, signed on the title page by Margaret Wise Brown—the only copy of any Margaret Wise Brown book we have ever encountered signed by her. $7500.

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“AN HONORABLE PLACE IN ANY LIBRARY OF CHILDREN’S BOOKS”

KIPLING, Rudyard. The Jungle Book. WITH: The Second Jungle Book. London and New York, 1894-95. Two volumes.

First editions of Kipling's classic Jungle Books, "replete with adventure and excitement." $6900.

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JEFF KINNEY'S POPULAR DIARY OF A WIMPY KID SERIES, SIGNED BY HIM IN ALL NINE BOOKS

KINNEY, Jeff. Diary of a Wimpy Kid (series). New York, 2007-13. Nine volumes.

First editions of the first eight titles as well as the "Do-It-Yourself" volume of the wildly successful Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, each book boldly signed or inscribed by the author-illustrator, Jeff Kinney. $6500.

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"THE NEST IS SO SNUG, WE SHALL BE SOUND ASLEEP ALL WINTER"

POTTER, Beatrix. The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes. London and New York, 1911.

First edition of Potter's gift to her devoted American readers, with color frontispiece and 26 color plates, in extremely rare original printed glassine dust jacket. $5200.

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"WITH ALL DUE RESPECT"

SNICKET, Lemony. A Series of Unfortunate Events. New York, 1999-2002. Nine volumes.

A splendid set of the first nine volumes of the Lemony Snicket series, all first editions in beautiful condition, each volume with embossed stamp "Library of Lemony Snicket" and signed by the author “with all due respect” and dated. $5000.

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BOLDLY INSCRIBED BY ROALD DAHL

DAHL, Roald. Boy. London, 1984.

First edition of Dahl's lively first autobiography, boldly inscribed by him across the entire half title: "To Douglas Love Roald Dahl." $4800.

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AUTHOR-CORRECTED ADVANCE ROUGH PROOF OF A. A. MILNE'S COLLECTION OF SHORT STORIES

MILNE, A. A. Birthday Party. London, 1949.

Advance page proofs of the first English edition, with extensive corrections on the Foreword in Milne's hand, initialed at the bottom by him. $4200.

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“ONE OF THE GREATEST OF AMERICAN ILLUSTRATED BOOKS”

SAUNDERS, Louise. The Knave of Hearts. New York, 1925. First edition of "one of the greatest of American illustrated books" (Porter, 84), the last and most lavish children's book illustrated by Maxfield Parrish, with mounted cover design, pictorial endpapers, 14 full-page color plates, and nine in-text color illustrations. $4000.

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“HEY! IT’S A GIRL”

SENDAK, Maurice and MARGOLIS, Matthew. Some Swell Pup or Are You Sure You Want a Dog? New York, 1976.

First edition, presentation copy, of this sprightly cautionary tale of pet ownership, beautifully illustrated, inscribed to Sendak's close friend and neighbor: "For Andy—Maurice Sept. '76," with an original drawing of the book's unnamed pup. $2200.

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THE LITTLE TRAIN, GRAHAME GREENE’S 1946 CHILDREN’S BOOK

[GREENE, Graham] CRAIGIE, Dorothy. The Little Train. London, [1946].

First edition of this collaboration between author Grahame Greene and illustrator Dorothy Glover, which appeared under the pseudonym “Dorothy Craigie.” $2000.

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“THE CIRCUS MCGURKUS! THE WORLD’S GREATEST SHOW ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH, OR WHEREVER YOU GO!”

SEUSS, Dr. If I Ran the Circus. New York, 1956.

First edition of this rhyming narrative about comically large aspirations for starting a circus. $2000.

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“STORIES ARE MADE OF WORDS, AND WORDS ARE MADE OF LETTERS”

REY, H.A. Curious George Learns the Alphabet. Boston, 1963.

First edition of the sixth book in Rey’s enormously popular series. $1800.

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FIRST EDITION OF DISNEY’S “POP-UP” SILLY SYMPHONIES

DISNEY STUDIOS. Pop-up Silly Symphonies. New York, 1933.

First edition, illustrated with in-text line drawings and plates and four double-page full-color pop-ups. $1650.

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SIGNED BY IAN FALCONER

FALCONER, Ian. Olivia. New York, 2000.

First edition of this 2001 Caldecott Honor book, signed on the title page by Ian Falconer. $1350.

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“THE ONLY PLACE IN NEW YORK CITY THAT IS NOT IN THE UNITED STATES!”

SASEK, Miroslav. This is the United Nations. New York, 1968.

First edition of the fifteenth book in Sasek’s celebrated series of children’s books about the world. $450.

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INSCRIBED BY ARTIST FAITH RINGGOLD

RINGGOLD, Faith. Bonjour, Lonnie. New York, 1996.

First edition of Ringgold's evocative children's book about an African American orphan living in France—her "lush, deeply imagined paintings… will tug at anyone who has seen—or wants to see—Paris"—boldly inscribed by her in black felt pen, "To B— G— Faith Ringgold." $350.

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"ANYONE CAN FLY. ALL YOU NEED IS SOMEWHERE TO GO THAT YOU CAN'T GET TO ANY OTHER WAY"

RINGGOLD, Faith. Dancing at the Louvre. California, 1998.

First edition of the richly illustrated museum catalog from Ringgold's influential first exhibition, boldly signed by her in the year of publication, "Faith Ringgold 10/14/98." $300.

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“A LAND OF INTELLECTUAL LIGHT AS WELL AS OF MYSTERIOUS DUST”

SASEK, Miroslav. This is Greece. London, 1966.

First English edition of the 13th book in Sasek’s celebrated series of children’s books about the world. $250.

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Aquatint Copperplate process by which the plate is “bitten” by exposure to acid. By changing the areas of the plate that are exposed and the length of time the plate is submerged in the acid bath, the engraver can obtain fine and varying shades of gray that closely resemble watercolor washes. Although the name contains the word “tint”, this is a black-and-white printing process; aquatint plates can often be hand colored, however.
Armorial Used to describe a binding bearing the coat of arms of the original owner, or with bookplates incorporating the owner’s arms.
Association Copy copy that belonged to someone connected with the author or the contents of a book.
Boards Hard front and rear covers of a bound book which are covered in cloth, leather or paper. “Original boards” refers to cardboard-like front and back boards, from about 1700 to 1840, used as temporary protection for books before their purchasers would have them bound. Of particular value to collectors as evidence of a very early form of the book.
Book-Plate Label, generally affixed to the front pastedown, identifying a book’s owner.
Broadside Sheet printed on one side, typically for public display, usually larger than folio size (a folio being a broadside-size sheet printed on both sides and folded once, to make four pages).
Calf Binding material made from cowhide—versatile, durable, usually tan or brown in color, of smooth texture with no or little apparent grain. Readily marbled (“tree calf”), mottled, diced, colored, polished, tooled in gilt or blind, even scented (known as “russia”). Reverse calf, with a distinctive suede-like texture, is occasionally used.
Chromolithograph Lithograph printed in colors, typically three or more.
Collation Process by which the contents of a book are inspected for completeness, checking against internal evidence, the table of contents and/or plate list, and reference works. Also a shorthand bibliographical description of a book’s composition by its leaves and signatures, rather than its pages. A-C, for example, would indicate a quarto volume composed of three signatures or gatherings of eight pages each for a total of 24 pages.
Colophon Printed note at the end of a text containing information about the printing of the book.
Doublure Pastedowns made not of paper but of leather, for decorative purposes.
Duodecimo (12MO) Smaller than an octavo, typically less than six inches tall; smaller formats, such as 24mo and 32mo, are uncommon.
Edition Print-run from a single setting of type without substantial change. Depending on demand, any number of printings can be made from a setting of type For example, a first printing might consist of 1000 copies, followed by a second printing of 2500 copies; in which case the book would have a first edition, first printing of 1000 copies, and a first edition, second printing of 2500 copies.
Endpapers Extra leaves—plain, colored or decorated—with which a bookbinder covers the insides of the book’s boards, therefore not part of the actual text block. The part of the leaf pasted to the inside of the front board is the front “pastedown,” while the other part of the leaf that forms the first page of the book is the “front free endpaper”; the same applies to the rear pastedown and rear free endpaper.
Engraving Illustration produced by carving lines into a metal plate. This is an intaglio process, in which ink is poured over the plate, then wiped from the surface, leaving ink only in the recesses made by the engraver’s tools. The image is then transferred by pressing thick dampened paper against the metal plate with great force—requiring engravings to be printed on a separate stock and separate press from any text.
Errata List of mistakes and corrections noted after printing, often compiled on a separate sheet or slip and inserted into the text block.
Flyleaves Additional blank leaves following or preceding the endpapers.
Folio Book composed of sheets that are folded once and printed on both sides, making two leaves and four pages. Typically above 14 inches tall. Oblong folios are produced the same way but bound at the short edge, producing a book typically more than 14 inches deep.
Fore-Edge Edge of the book furthest from the spine. Occasionally the text of a book will be put into a specialized book press and painted, often with a scene from the book or a landscape, so that the painting is invisible when the book is closed but visible when somebody bends the text and fans the pages—known as a fore-edge painting.
Foxing Light brown spots that naturally appear on some papers due to oxidation as they age.
Frontispiece An illustration facing the title page of a book.
Gathering Single sheet of paper that has been printed and folded to form the pages required by the book’s format. A single gathering of a quarto book, then, would be a sheet folded twice, containing four leaves, eight pages of text.. Gatherings are identified by a letter, symbol or number in the lower margin of the first page (the “signature”) to make it easy for the printer to stack them in proper order for sewing.
Gilt Edges The three exposed edges of a book have been smoothed and gilded.
Half Title Leaf preceding the title page that bears the book’s title, originally used to identify the unbound text block. The book’s binder would often remove and discard the half title at the time of binding. Remaining half-titles are therefore of interest to collectors.
Illuminated Decorated by hand. Typically early printed books and especially manuscripts.
Imprint Satement of place, publisher and date of publication on a book’s title page.
Incunable From the cradle of printing, i.e., any book printed before 1501.
Issue A group of books issued by the publisher as a discrete unit. At times, issue refers to timing, such as the “first issue” being offered to the public at an earlier date than the “second issue.” At other times, it refers to specially planned different batches, such as the “trade issue” (widely available) in opposition to a “signed limited issue” (limited to a small amount of copies differing somehow from the trade issue and not widely available).
Japanese Vellum Expensive handmade paper often used in deluxe editions.
Lithograph Illustration produced by transferring an image drawn on a carefully prepared stone to paper. The process allowed illustrations to more closely resemble the original drawings, paintings or sketches, as it gave the lithographer a freedom of line impossible to achieve in earlier intaglio and relief processes. It does not require the same sort of pressure as an engraving to transfer the image, but still has to be printed on separate stock from the text
Marginalia Handwritten notes made in the margins by a previous owner.
Mispaginated Printer’s error in pagination, typically skipping, transposing or repeating page numbers. Not uncommon in older, larger books, it is not considered a defect, so long as all integral leaves are present.
Modern Recently accomplished, when used to describe a book’s binding that is not the original casing. Some books bound recently are bound using techniques, tools and styles of the period of the book’s original issue; when done well this is called a period-style binding, a term that implies “modern” as well.
Morocco Binding material made from goatskin—versatile, durable, with a distinctive pebbled texture and visible grain. Readily stretched (“straight-grain”), crushed (flattened smooth), tooled in gilt or blind, inlaid with leathers of different colors. So-called because much of the raw material originally came from the tanneries of North Africa (other types of goatskin bindings denoting regions of origin include levant, turkey, niger).
Offset The unintended transfer of ink from one printed page to an adjacent page.
Period-Style binding executed with materials, tools and techniques to approximate the look of a contemporary binding from the period of the book’s publication. The term implies that the binding is modern, or recent, unless otherwise specified.
Plate Full-page illustration printed separately from but bound with the text.
Point Variation in text, illustration, design or format that allows a bibliographer to distinguish between different editions and different printings of the same edition, or between different states or issues of the same printing.
Presentation Copy Book given as a gift by its author, illustrator or publisher. Sometimes refers to a volume given by a notable donor.
Provenance History of a particular copy of a book.
Raised Bands Horizontal protruding strips found on the spine of a book.
Reback To supply a worn binding with a new spine, usually made of the same material as the rest of the binding and decorated to match. When feasible the binder may preserve the original spine and affix it to the new material, described as “rebacked with the original spine laid down.”
Recase To reattach a text block to its binding when it has become loose from its covers.
Recto The front side of a leaf. The back side is known as the “verso.”
Trade Edition Printing or printings of a book made available for purchase by the general public on publication day (as opposed to a limited edition, often available only by subscription).
Uncut When the edges of the text block (most apparent at the fore and lower edges) have not been trimmed to a uniform size, and are therefore characterized by a ragged or deckle edge. A book may be uncut but opened—i.e., with a paper-knife—but all unopened books (see below) are by nature uncut as well.
Unopened When the folds of the sheets of paper making up the text block have not been trimmed away or opened with a paper-knife. While this makes it impossible to read all of the pages, it also indicates a probability that the text block has not been altered since leaving the printer.
Vellum Binding material made from specially treated calfskin—durable, with a distinctive ivory color and smooth appearance. Can be tooled in gilt or blind. So-called Japan vellum (or Japon) is a type of thick paper that has been polished smooth and given a glossy finish to resemble vellum.
Verso The back or reverse side of a leaf or page. (See “recto.”)
Woodcut Illustration or textual decoration made by cutting away from the surface of a block of wood until the reverse of the image is left in relief; this is then inked and pressed to the paper to leave the image. The woodblock, or multiple blocks, can be fit into the page along with the type, allowing text and illustrations to be printed in the same print run and share the same page (not possible with engravings, which require thicker, damp paper and much more force; nor with lithographs, which require a different printing process altogether). Woodcuts preceded moveable type and are the earliest known printing technology.
Wood-Engraving Engraving made with the graver or burin on the cross-section of a piece of boxwood; the harder wood and finer tools allow for more delicate, finely detailed images, while the block can still be set in the page alongside text and printed on the same stock as the text. While much older, wood engravings enjoyed an important renaissance in the late eighteenth century through Thomas Bewick and continued in popularity thorugh the nineteenth century.
Wormhole Tiny pinhole-sized trails left by bookworms as they eat through a text block. Much more common in older books printed on handmade papers with a high rag content than in books printed on manufactured papers made from wood pulp with a higher acidic content.
Wrappers Paper coverings—plain, marbled or printed—attached by stitches, staples or glue to a text block to identify it and afford it some protection (though much more fragile than a binding in plain, cloth or leather-covered boards). More typical of slim and/or inexpensive volumes such as pamphlets. “Self wrappers” are leaves, blank or printed, that are integral to the text block, conjugate with other leaves and from the same stock. “Original wrappers,” those attached at the time of issue, are scarce and extremely desirable to most collectors.

Children's Catalogue 2024

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