Children and Young Adult
J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens; Retold by May Bryon for Little People with the Permission of the Author
London: Hodder and Stoughton Limited, [1929]. Rackham, Arthur. Hardcover. Octavo size, 123 pp. With Ex-Libris of J.M. Barrie which apparently is not unique, there being one other copy online as of this writing with the same plate. The ink looks genuine but the signatures are the same; interestingly, the library..... More
Peter Pan and Wendy
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1921. Attwell, Mabel Lucie. First Edition. Hardcover. First U.S. edition with Attwell illustrations, quarto size, 193 pp. Sir James Matthew Barrie (1860-1937) wrote numerous novels and plays for both children and adults, but he is best known for "Peter Pan", a hugely successful play set..... More
Stories from the Pentamerone
London: Macmillan and Co., Limited, 1911. Goble, Warwick. Limited Edition. Vellum. One of 150 copies, the Edition de Luxe, quarto size, 316 pp. The text of this book is based on John Edward Taylor's translation from 1847. Giambattista Basile (1566-1632) was an Italian poet, courtier, and fairy tale collector. The..... More
Cautionary Tales for Children; Designed for the Admonition of Children between the ages of eight and fourteen years
London: Eveleigh Nash, [1907]. B. T. B. [Lord Basil Temple Blackwood]. First Edition. Hardcover. First printing, octavo size, 80 pp. This collection of verses, intended as a parody of cautionary tales written for children, was written by Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953), a prolific writer and poet as well as an avid..... More
Buddy's Adventures in the Blueberry Patch
New York: Harper and Brothers [printed in Sweden by Centraltryckeriet, Stockholm], [1931]. Beskow, Elsa. Hardcover. Oblong folio, 34 pp. A lovely children's picture book about a young boy who went out into the forest to pick blueberries ("and whortleberries") as a name-day present for his mother, and his adventures after..... More
Children's Literature Review, Excerpts from Reviews, Criticism, and Commentary on Books for Children and Young People (Volumes 1 - 48)
Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1976. Hardcover. Forty-eight consecutive volumes, published between 1976 and 1998, large quarto size, approximately 9600 pp. An "ongoing series", published to fill "a need for a digest of comment concerning children’s literature…in which excerpts of recent reviews of both fiction and nonfiction for children and young..... More
Giovanni and the Other Children Who Have Made Stories
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1892. Birch, Reginald B. First Edition. Hardcover. First US edition, octavo size, 224 pp. The work of Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849-1924) captured the imaginations of readers, with her enduring novels such as "The Secret Garden" and "Sara Crewe"; this collection of stories for children demonstrates..... More
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
New York and Cleveland: The World Publishing Company, (1969). Carle, Eric. First Edition. Hardcover. First printing, oblong quarto, 28 pp., in first issue dust jacket. Eric Carle (b. 1929) is known world-wide for this, his third book, which has been translated into more than 60 languages and has sold more..... More
The Wonderful Adventures of Little Prince Toofat
New York: James A. McCann Company, (1922). Lawson, Robert. First Edition. Hardcover. First printing, folio size, 78 pp. The story of a trip to "Looking Glass Land" by "Prince Toofat" and "Himself", with wonderful illustrations by Robert Lawson (1892-1957). This was Lawson's first published book, he would later win both..... More
The Peek-A-Boos In Winter
London: Humphrey Milford / Oxford University Press, n.d. Hardcover. Oblong folio, [80] pp. Information on Chloe Preston (1887-1969) seems a bit elusive; from various online sources we gleen that she was born in Britain in 1887, "in a gentrified English country environment". Her charming illustrations of the Peek-a-Boos have "clear..... More
Somebody's Darlings
London: Raphael Tuck & Sons, Ltd., n.d. Boards. Quarto size, [24] pp. "Somebody's Darlings" is a delightful board book for very young children, with the charming illustrations by Chloe Preston in the style of the "Peek-A-Boos". Information on Chloe Preston (1887-1969) is a bit elusive; from various online sources we..... More
The Peek-A-Boos In Camp Play Book
London: Humphrey Milford / Oxford University Press, [1937]. Preston, Chloe. Pictorial boards. Large octavo size, [12] pp. Chloe Preston provided the illustrations for twelve "Peek-A-Boo" books (per Baumgarten); interestingly, this title not listed. A scarce book, as of this writing there is one copy online of "The Peek-A-Boos In Camp"..... More
The Peek-A-Boos and Mr. Plopper
London: Henry Frowde / Hodder & Stoughton, n.d. Preston, Chloe; Howard-Vyse, George. Hardcover. Large octavo size, [52] pp. Chloe Preston provided the illustrations for twelve "Peek-A-Boo" books (per Baumgarten); interestingly, this title not listed. With the introduction of anthropomorphised animals Preston seems to have been inspired by Beatrix Potter, whose..... More
![Item #23061005 A Visit from St. Nicholas [The Night Before Christmas]; No. 963. Clement Clarke...](https://swansfinebooks.cdn.bibliopolis.com/pictures/23061005_1.jpg?width=320&height=427&fit=bounds&auto=webp&v=1697839863)
A Visit from St. Nicholas [The Night Before Christmas]; No. 963
London and Manchester: S. Hildesheimer and Co. Limited, [1890]. Wraps. Sixmo size, 14 pp. First published in 1823 (anonymously) it is safe to say that this short poem, also known as "The Night Before Christmas" or " 'Twas the Night Before Christmas" has for two hundred years been enjoyed by..... More
The Jolly Jump-Ups and Their New House
Springfield, MA: McLoughlin Bros., Inc., 1939. Clyne, Geraldine. Hardcover. Quarto size (oblong), [7] pp. "The Jolly Jump-Ups" is a pop-up book by Geraldine Clyne featuring the Jump-Up family and their escapades as they move to a new house. Showcasing charming illustrations by Clyne, each page contains a full-colour pop-up scene..... More
Pinocchio
New York: J.H. Sears & Company, Inc., (1926). Rule, Christopher. First Edition. Hardcover. The first edition, first printing of the Rule-illustrated edition, quarto size, 243 pp., with dust jacket. Everyone is familiar with the story of "Pinocchio", the wooden puppet who came to life. Originally published in serial form as..... More
Midnight Revels
San Francisco: Sunset Press, 1939. Kraemer, Xavier. First Edition. Hardcover. Octavo size, 85 pp., signed by Xavier Kraemer. A delightful fairy story told in poem form, of a dream wherein dolls come alive and dance and celebrate - until the dawn when the "dream" ends - the dream that the..... More
St. Nicholas: An Illustrated Magazine For Young Folks. Volume XXIX Part II, May 1902 To October 1902 [Includes first appearance of "The Cruise of the Dazzler" and "To Repel Boarders" by Jack London]
New York: The Century Co., 1902. First Edition. Hardcover. Octavo size , 582 pp. This volume includes six months of the wonderful St. Nicholas children's magazine, with the July issue containing the first published appearance of the short story "The Cruise of the Dazzler" (pp. 784-812). ___DESCRIPTION: Decorated red cloth..... More
The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins
New York: The Vanguard Press, c. 1938. Hardcover. Mixed state, folio size, 47 pp., with dust jacket. "The first hat was old and battered, but it had a fine feather stuck in it of which any little boy would be proud..." A favourite Dr. Seuss story, which, of course, "turned..... More
Horton Hatches the Egg
New York: Random House, (1940). First Edition. Hardcover. First printing, quarto size, [55 pp.], with publisher's dust jacket. Theodor Seuss Geisel (1904-1991) will forever be remembered as the beloved "Dr. Seuss", creator of numerous stories for children. Often written as nonsensical lines in the tradition of the great Edward Lear..... More
The Play-Day Book: New Stories for Little Folks
New York: Mason Brothers, 1857. Coffin, Fred[erick] M. Hardcover. Sixteenmo, 292 pp. Early reprint of a children's book by Fannie Fern, the pen name of Sara Willis (1811-1872) who struggled as a young widow to provide for her children by writing, eventually becoming the highest-paid columnist in the United States..... More
Pocket-Handkerchief Park
Garden City, N.Y. Doubleday, Doran & Co. Inc., 1929. Field, Rachel. First Edition. Hardcover. 24mo size, 67 pp. Rachel Lyman Field (1894-1942) was a well-loved children's author, as well as a novelist and poet; she is best known for her Newbery Award-winning "Hitty, Her First Hundred Years". She was also..... More
Hitty; Her First Hundred Years
New York: The Macmillan Company, 1929. Lathrop, Dorothy P. First Edition. Hardcover. First printing, octavo size, 219 pp., in publisher's dust jacket. A delightful children's book which tells the tale of a hand-carved wooden doll and her many adventures. "As far as I can learn, I must have been made..... More
The Chewg-um-blewg-um; The Mite Merry Series
Melbourne, Auckland et al: Whitcombe & Tombs Limited, [1919]. Gaze, Harold. First Edition. Wraps. Quarto size, [32] pp. A book of poetry about the chewg-um-glewg-um, which "has an Emu's body / And a smiling Camel's head", written and illustrated by Harold Gaze (1885-1963). Gaze is known for his colourful elvish..... More