Collecting Childrens Picturebooks

Several weeks ago, we garnered a   by being tagged by Fuse #8 Production in the "Someone Believes I Think!" post.

The idea originated in February from The Thinking Blog's  tagging five blogs which make you think (for those tagged, below, click on the link to see guidelines for tagging thinking blogs).

Certainly a unique idea - "to tag blogs with real merits, i.e. relative content, and above all - blogs that really get you thinking!" Thinking has oft been described as a mix of perspiration and hard work. To the five blogs that follow, keep the perspiration to yourselves, and a modest "thank you!" for the hard work.

Book Collectors

Kenneth Sullivan's discussion on Modern First editions, Signed Limited editions, and other book collecting topics. There are bookseller blogs galore on the web, most are, eh…, monologues? rants? diatribes?, etc..., on a variety of 'topics-of-the-week', those easy to write opinions many bloggers feel is their sacred duty to pontificate upon. Not so Book Collectors – Mr. Sullivan actually provides information related to the hobby of collecting books! For starters, try either the article  on E.L. Doctorow's Ragtime or To Kill A Mockingbird.

Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast 

"Our vision for this blog is pretty simple: we’re going to talk about the books we read. We read lots of different kinds of books: picture books for toddlers, memoirs, young adult fiction, graphic novels, Man Booker Prize-winning high-art metafiction, whatever. And we’ll write about them, whenever we can, in the hopes that we can

a. let you, the reader, know about a book that you might like to read, too; and
b. inspire discussion about said books."

We love the author interviews on Seven Things, which are much more than the usual list of suspect questions. Try the MT. Anderson interview and see if you too don't get hooked.

The Brookshelf

"A children's librarian thoughts, ideas, and news about children's books from yesteryear."

Among the plethora of librarians and teacher blogs on the web, the brookshelf stands apart by providing thoughtful reviews on forgotten books, gems of the past nearly lost among the hoard of Potter wannebe's gracing the shelf of the local Barnes & Noble and such.

Bookride

"It's a guide to the most wanted and collected books. There is some evaluation of why the book is wanted, what it is worth - with a range of selling prices, some trivia, apercus and bon mots, a few anecdotes, so called jokes and occasional rants."

Nigel posts on an eclectic measure of first edition books, from Harry Potter to Kerouac's On The Road to Wuthering Heights, offering humorous opinions and anecdotes relevent to book collectors. Highly readable.

The Publishing Contrarian

Lynne W. Scanlon, the self proclaimed Wicked Witch of Publishing offers regular posts on the inside workings of the publishing industry. Not for the faint of heart, she offers brutally honest information and advice, of special importance to the prospective, as yet unpublished, author.

Wannabe Author Syndrome: Cheap, Craven & Conned?

"I am so tired of hearing unpublished writers (I won’t call a writer an author until he/she can actually show me a bound book or a buyable online version) wail about not being able to find a literary agent or get published or get readers to buy direct. Last night I practically leapt across a dinner table to throttle a wannabe author because he simply could not or would not absorb what I was telling him—that what he desperately needed was someone to assess his book and let him know if it was good or bad."

 Click on the article's title to read the rest.

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The information offered on the website and blog is offered free of charge. If you find the information useful, then kindly link or share the post with a parent, teacher, librarian, bookseller, or collector. Thank You.

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From Publisher's Weekly: 

For Better or Worse, Used Book Sales Grow

Trade publishers ambivalent; online businesses prosper

by Jim Milliot -- Publishers Weekly, 4/2/2007

"Prompted in part by Amazon.com's decision to sell used trade books in 2004, the Book Industry Study Group commissioned a report in 2005 to determine the size and composition of the used book market. Those findings, released in fall 2005, confirmed the fears of publishers—that used trade books had grown into a significant market, with sales estimated at $589 million in 2004—while providing proof to retailers about the opportunity afforded by used books. But what has happened in the market since that study?

Despite their concerns, publishers have found few ways to stop used sales; in fact, while no new figures are available, the used book market for trade titles appears to have grown by double digits in 2006. The good news for publishers, however, is that the increase in used book sales has not resulted in the collapse of sales of new trade titles. Preliminary sales figures from the AAP show sales of adult titles in 2006 up slightly, consistent with gains of recent years. That's cold comfort for some publishers who speculated that sales could have been higher if not for the siphoning of sales by used books."

For the complete article, CLICK HERE. 

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The information offered on the website and blog is offered free of charge. If you find the information useful, then kindly link or share the post with a parent, teacher, librarian, bookseller, or collector. Thank You.

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The following table lists the second fifty illustrators in the Children's Picturebook Price Guide with the highest average book value. The value would be for first edition books, with dust jackets. The table also includes the number of books listed in the price guide for each illustrator.

Kurt Wiese, the most prolific illustrator in the CPPG with 280 books, tops the list of the second fifty with an average book price of $139. Wiese's books are an eclectic mixture, from the 1933 Newbery Medal winning Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze, to the 1935 classic picturebook Honk The Moose, to the Freddie the Pig series of books authored by Walter Brooks. His illustrations also grace the first American edition of Felix Salten's Bambi, published in 1928. During his prolific career, Wiese only won one Caldecott award, an Honor in 1946 for You Can Write Chinese.

Mary Grandpré (#65) is better known for illustrating the US dust jackets for J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books. Similarlay, Brett Helquist's (#77) illustrations are most familiar due to his work on Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events books.

Children love Louis Slobodkin's illustrations, which have a classic whimsical feel to them and a simple line structure. Slobidkin's illustrations accompany four of Eleanor Estes' Newbery award books, including the 1952 Medal winning Ginger Pye. Slobodkin won the 1944 Caldecott Medal for Many Moons.

We will leave the remainder of the analysis and commentary to the reader. Children's picturebook collectors should be familiar with most illustrators on the list; if not, then a bit of homework via Google or Wikipedia will provide some base level information.

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The following table lists fifty illustrators in the Children's Picturebook Price Guide with the highest average book value. The value would be for first edition books, with dust jackets. The table also includes the number of books listed in the price guide for each illustrator.

Not surprisingly, Dr. Seuss heads the list, with an average value of $1183 for the 53 books listed in the price guide. We did not include the books he authored under the pseudonym Theo LeSieg, which were all illustrated by others. If you should stumble upon a first edition Green Eggs And Ham at your local Friends of the Library sale, then consider adding it to your purchase stack.

The top seven illustrators in the list are pretty much as expected, however Thomas Handforth at number eight is a bit surprising. Handforth only has five books listed, and one of them, Mei Li, the 1939 Caldecott Medal book, is valued at $1600, thereby increasing the average of the small lot of books. A similar aberration is for Nancy Elkholm Burkett, who did the illustrations for Raold Dahl's James And The Giant Peach, a book which sells for over $3000 in today's market.

We will leave the remainder of the analysis and commentary to the reader. Children's picturebook collectors should be familiar with most illustrators on the list; if not, then a bit of homework via Google or Wikipedia will provide some base level information.

Links Are Our Friends

The information offered on the website and blog is offered free of charge. If you find the information useful, then kindly link or share the post with a parent, teacher, librarian, bookseller, or collector. Thank You.

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Even with this disparity, there are areas of interest for every pocket book. With this in mind, we wanted to offer some thoughts on various dollar-value levels for collectible picturebooks.

The Book Collector's Mantra - Learn, Learn, Learn!

Ours is a growing hobby. As such, there are many unexplored nooks and crannies within the picturebook hobby. Find them. Learn, learn, learn, then find them. Astute early adopters often benefit in the long run. The key is to understand the factors impacting a book’s collectibility and subsequent value, and being insightful enough to benefit. The benefit is buying a collectible book in the present for less then it would cost in the future.

The Bookseller's Perspective

Booksellers cannot afford to have a long-term perspective when deciding to purchase this or that book. They buy books at wholesale or less, then sell them quickly to turn a profit. The business model strongly favors turnover of their book inventory. This works to the advantage of the astute book collector.

Most booksellers are generalists, or specialists in other areas of the vast book collecting spectrum. There are only a handful of children’s bookselling specialists, and in most cases specialize in older antiquarian materials. Because of this, the astute hobbyist can often find contemporary ‘bargains’ in used and collectible bookstores.

Important Caveat

Collect books that you enjoy. Enjoy the books you collect.

The lists that follow tend toward traditionalist children’s picturebook collecting, and should be used as guides to develop your own collecting interests.

The intention is to help you spend less for books of your interest.

Presumptions 

The following lists are for first edition hardcover picturebooks, with dust jacket.

• Learn to identify first edition books by key children’s book publishers (it’s not too difficult)! For the beginning collector, CLICK HERE.
• Books without dust jacket (when originally issued with one) are worth only a fraction of the book with dust jacket.
• Paperback versions have little collectibility or value.

Level 1: Up to $20

1. Caldecott Medal books, 2000 to present.
2. Caldecott Honor books, 1990 to present.
3. Geisel Medal books, 2006 & 2007.
4. Modern Caldecott award winning illustrators, such as books by Tony Diterlizzi, Kevin Henkes, Kadir Nelson, Chris Raschka, Eric Rohmann, David Small, and Mo Willems.
5. Contemporary illustrators, 1990 to present, such as books by Felicia Bond, Kay Chorao, Steven Kellogg, Michael Hague, Tomie de Paola, Mercer Mayer, and Cindy Szekeres.
6. Contemporary pop culture franchise books, including Little Critter, Arthur, Berenstain Bear, Magic School Bus, Olivia, and Toot & Puddle books.

A common strategy is to collect books which stay in print for decades, perhaps never going out of print ('never' is a long time, so please consider it in context). The idea is the longer the book is in print, the more children enjoy and read it, thereby increasing the interest in the first edition copy. Eventually. If only those five year olds would hurry up and become forty. 

Level 2: Up to $50

1. Caldecott Medal books, 1995 to present.
2. Caldecott Honor books, 1980 to present.
3. Harper & Row, ’I Can Read’ series books, 1970 to present.
4. Illustrators, 1970 to present, such as books by Leo & Diane Dillon, Richard Egielski, Stephen Gammell, Trina Schart Hyman, Leo Lionni, Jerry Pinkney, Richard Scarry, Peter Spier, Tomi Ungerer, David Wiesner, Ed Young, and Paul Zelinsky.

Level 3: Up to $100

1. Caldecott Medal books, 1990 to present.
2. Caldecott Honor books, 1970 to present.
3. Beginner Books, 1960 to present.
4. Harper & Row, ‘I Can Read’ series books, 1957 to present, especially the early Syd Hoff books, and the affordable Maurice Sendak Little Bear books.
5. Illustrators, 1960 to present, including Raymond Briggs, Marcia Brown, Ed Emberley, the Haders, Nonny Hogrogian, Hilary Knight (non-Eloise), Leo Lionni, the Petershams, Shel Silverstein, William Steig, Leonard Weisgard, and Taro Yashima.

Level 4: Up to $200

1. Selected Dr. Seuss books - from eBay only - including The Cat In The Hat Comes Back, The Sleep Book, Sollew Sollew, Hop On Pop, Lorax, One Fish/Two Fish, and Yertle the Turtle. First editions can be found on eBay, however are considerably more expensive from other bookselling sites.
2. Caldecott Medal books, 1980 to present.
3. Caldecott Honor books, 1960 to present.
4. Classic illustrators, 1950 to present, including Roger Duvoisin, Ingri & d’Aulaire, Feodor Rojankovsky, Leo Politi, Louis Slobodkin, Gustaf Tenggren, and Kurt Wiese.
5. Selected franchise books, including Happy Lion, Petunia, Little Golden Books (with dust jackets!),  

Level 5: Up to $500

1. Caldecott Medal books, 1950 to present.
2. Caldecott Honor books, 1938 to present (except Madeline, which would be much more expensive).
3. Key franchise books, including Angus, Babar, Curious George, Eloise, Madeline, Harold/Purple Crayon, and the Smalls books (Lenski).
4. Foundation illustrators, 1930 to present, including Marjorie Flack, Wanda Gag, Robert Lawson, Lois Lenski, Robert McCloskey, and Tasha Tudor.
5. Selected Maurice Sendaks books.

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First Edition Identification Points

The Happy Lion Roars; illustrated by Roger Duvoisin, written by Louise Fatio; Whittlesly House, 1957.

Childrens Picturebook Price Guide: $160 Very Good+

The Happy Lion Roars is the third of the Happy Lion books, and the sixth of eighteen books Roger Duvoisin and his wife, Louise Fatio, worked on together.

The Happy Lion books:

First Edition Identification Points

The copyright page does not state any subsequent printings.

From First Editions: A Guide To Identification, 2^nd ed; Zempel & Verkler:

Whittlesly House, 1947 statement:

“The first printing of the first edition of Whittlesey House books has no indication of edition or printing anywhere in the book. The first edition may be identified only in a negative manner. Subsequent printings have ‘second printing,’ and subsequent editions ‘second edition,’ etc… on the verso of the title page under the copyright statement.”

The price on the dust jacket front flap is $2.00, followed by a synopsis for The Happy Lion Roars. The rear flap has “And don’t forget the Happy Lion’s other exciting adventures,” followed by short synopsis.

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First Edition Identification Points

A Doll For Marie; illustrated by Roger Duvoisin, written by Louise Fatio; Whittlesly House, 1957.

Childrens Picturebook Price Guide: $180 Very Good+ (with the supplemental doll book)

A Doll For Marie is an interesting collector piece because of the identical miniature copy of the book inserted in a back pocket (see photo). It is somewhat difficult to find with the miniature book in tact.

From the front flap:

Here is a most unusual picture story – actually two books, a book for a little girl and a book for her doll.

Both books tell the warm, touching story of a beautiful antique doll who had no home except a dusty […]

Once again Louise Fatio and Roger Duvoisin have combined their talents, this time to produce a story which every little girl will love. And in addition they have included the very same book in a miniature size which is just right for a little girl’s favorite doll to own.

A Doll For Marie is the fifth of eighteen books Roger Duvoisin and his wife, Louise Fatio, worked on together. The teams is best known for their Happy Lion books

First Edition Identification Points

The copyright page does not state any subsequent printings.

From First Editions: A Guide To Identification, 2^nd ed; Zempel & Verkler:

Whittlesly House, 1947 statement:

“The first printing of the first edition of Whittlesey House books has no indication of edition or printing anywhere in the book. The first edition may be identified only in a negative manner. Subsequent printings have ‘second printing,’ and subsequent editions ‘second edition,’ etc… on the verso of the title page under the copyright statement.”

The price on the dust jacket front flap is $2.50, followed by a synopsis for A Doll For Marie. The rear flap has “Everybody loves the Happy Lion books,” followed by three one-paragraph reviews.

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First Edition Identification Points

Petunia’s Christmas; written and illustrated by Roger Duvoisin; Borzoi/Knopf, 1952.

Childrens Picturebook Price Guide: $240 Very Good+ (updated)

Continuing our Duvoisin theme (see Petunia), Petunia’s Christmas is the third of the Petunia books written and illustrated by Roger Duvoisin. The Petunia books:

First Edition Identification Points

The copyright page states ‘F I R S T  E D I T I O N.’ The front cover of the book is pale yellow cloth with four lightly embossed pictures of Petunia.

The first edition dust jacket has “C L O T H   B O U N D   $2.00 net” in the top right hand corner of the front flap, followed by a synopsis of Petunia’s Christmas, followed “00408” on the right. The rear flap includes a synopsis for Petunia, followed by a synopsis for Petunia and the Song.

 

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First Edition Identification Points

Petunia; written and illustrated by Roger Duvoisin; Borzoi/Knopf, 1950.

Childrens Picturebook Price Guide: $320 Very Good+ (updated)

Roger Duvoisin illustrated over one hundred books in a career spanning five decades. Scribner published Duvoisin’s first book in 1932, A Little Boy Was Drawing (Scribner, 1932; $280 VG+). This unedited first effort made little commercial impact. Duvoisin’s second book, Donkey-Donkey, The Troubles Of A Silly Little Donkey (Whitman, 1933; $600 VG+), was commercially successful, staying in print for decades, with over a million copies sold.

In 1948, Duvoisin won a Caldecott Medal for his illustrations in White Snow, Bright Snow (Lothrop, 1947; $480 VG+), written by Alvin Tressalt. Duvoisin won two Caldecott Honor awards; the first in 1946 for Bhimsa, The Dancing Bear (Scribner, 1945; $220 VG+); the second in 1966 for Hide And Seek Fog (Lothrop, 1965; $160 VG+), again written by Tressalt.

Duvoisin is probably best known for several franchise characters he illustrated and/or created, such as The Happy Lion, Veronica, the hippopotamus, and Petunia, the goose. Duvoisin collaborated on nine Happy Lion books with his wife, Louise Fatio. Each of the franchise books would have increased collectibility since they are considered part of a series. The first book in the series would be most desirable.

First Edition Identification Points

The copyright page states ‘F I R S T  E D I T I O N.’ The front cover of the book has a picture of Petunia, which matches the front dust jacket.

The Parent’s Magazine edition also states ‘F I R S T  E D I T I O N,’ however the boards are orange cloth and have the Parent’s Magazine emblem in the center of the back board.

The first edition dust jacket has “$1.50” in the top right hand corner of the front flap, followed by a synopsis of Petunia, with “00408” on the bottom right. The rear flap includes a synopsis for The Christmas Whale.

The Parent’s Magazine dust jacket does not have a price. The Parent’s Magazine issue includes the book club’s emblem on the back of the dust jacket.

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Dr. Seuss First Edition Identification Points

The Lorax, 1971

Childrens Picturebook Price Guide: $260 Fine (updated)

“I am Lorax. I speak for the trees, for the trees that have no tongues. And I’m asking you, Sir, at the top of my lungs. Oh please do not cut down another one.”—The Lorax, Dr. Seuss, 1971

The Lorax chronicles the plight of the environment and the Lorax, who speaks for the trees against the greedy Once-ler. The book is a parable about our industrialized society. The Lorax is arguably Seuss’ most controversial work.

From the biography Dr. Seuss and Mr. Geisel (Judith & Neil Morgan):

The book startled Dr. Seuss readers, and reviewers were divided. Some called it a morality tale. Ted shrugged, saying, “It’s impossible to tell a story without a moral---either the good guys win or the bad guys win.” Others were disappointed that the book lacked his usual zaniness. Sales were slower than Random House had come to expect of a Dr. Seuss book; The Lorax was ahead of its time and its popularity began to soar only a decade later when the environmental movement exploded. Ted himself began to talk of it as his favorite book.

Although The Lorax appeared in the bookstores in the fall of 1971, news of it had reached Americans the previous spring after Ted was cornered at a brunch in San Diego by Liz Carpenter, Lady Bird Johnson’s press secretary. As they sipped Bloody Marys, Liz questioned Ted about the theme of his book. It would serve Lady Bird’s environmental concerns well, she quickly said, if he donated the book’s art and manuscript to the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library in Austin, Texas, and attended its impending dedication. […]

News reports of the presidential library dedication focused on two gifts, a slice of moon rock sent by President Nixon and the original black-and-white drawings of The Lorax. President Johnson wrote Ted, “If anyone had been conducting a popularity poll in Austin the weekend of May 22, you would have won it hands down.”

The Lorax was banned in the Laytonville, California School District on grounds that this book "criminalizes the forestry industry."

When the television version of The Lorax appeared early in 1972, Newsweek called it “hard-sell ecological allegory, stabbing mainly at big business through a deceptively gentle blend of gorgeous colors, superb animation, and a rippling imagery of words and pictures.”

The Lorax is also the only book that Seuss himself ever changed after publication, by removing the Lorax’s line, “I hear things are just as bad up at Lake Erie!” From the biography Dr. Seuss and Mr. Geisel (Judith & Neil Morgan):

Two research associates from the Ohio Sean Grant Program wrote him fourteen years later about the cleanup of Lake Erie: “Improved conditions exist [in water quality]…we wonder if you would consider changing that line to past tense in future editions.”

Normally that would have involved tedious revamping of rhythm and rhyme, but this time the change involved only the final line of a four-line rhyme and he simply deleted it.

First Edition Identification:

The Lorax was issued without a dust jacket. The back of the first edition book proclaims:

Up to now,

Dr. Seuss

Has written and illustrated

32 world-famous books

For children…and their lucky parents.

Followed by two lists, the first list ending with THE LORAX. The second lists Beginner Books.

At the bottom is a yellow box with a blurb from Rudolph Flesch. The bottom right hand corner has the ISBN number “304-82337-0.”

There is a Library Edition published simulateneously with the Trade Edition, which has the same back cover text and titles list, except, oddly, the Rudolph Flesch quote is in a garish pink color. The Library Edition also has the ISBN in the bottom right corner, but it’s the wrong number. The number is “304-82337-5”, where is should be “304-92337-5.” The ‘8’ should be a ‘9.’

 

The copyright page of the Trade Edition and Library Edition vary dramatically. See picture, below.

Note that the Library Edition does not show the ISBN number on the copyright page. The Trade Edition includes the correct ISBN for both the Trade and Library Edition.

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Identifying Contemporary First Edition Books

Book collectors and booksellers are meticulous in their meaning of “First Edition.” In the book collecting industry, “First Edition” is always meant to be the first printing of the first edition of the book. 

It is very important for the novice book collector or bookseller to understand that the meaning and use of the term “First Edition” is different in the publishing industry than in the book collecting industry. Many publishers use the term ‘First Edition’ on the copyright page to indicate a book that has been reprinted without changes from its first printing. It is not uncommon for printers to employ the words “First Edition” on the copyright page on books even up to the eighth and ninth printing.

This use of the words “First Edition” on later printings of books has caused numerous headaches in recent years for book collectors, as more novice and amateur booksellers offer books for sale on the internet. A large number of novice or casual sellers do not distinguish the difference between the collecting definition of “First Edition,” and the printing industry’s use of the term. This is especially prevalent on eBay auctions, and the prudent potential book buyer should make an inquiry to the seller to obtain exact copyright page information.

Identifying Contemporary First Edition Picturebooks

In general, on most contemporary first editions published after 1970, the copyright page will have the words “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or “First Impression,” in conjunction with a numbering or lettering (less common) systems. It is important to understand that a book with “First Edition” or “First Printing” on the copyright page does not mean the book is a first edition in the collectible sense. Rather, the correct “number line” sequence is of vital importance.

Click here for first edition identification points on some specific publishers.

For the reader to become proficient at identifying first editions, the following are acceptable authoritative guides:

• Pocket Guide to the Identification of First Editions; edited by William M. McBride.
• First Editions: A Guide to Identification; edited by: E. N. Zempel and Linda A. Verkler.
• First Editions: A Field Guide for Collectors of English & American Literature; A. K. Ward.

Each of these guides will provide solid reference to identifying first edition markings for different publishing houses. These books do not provide first edition ‘identification points’ for specific collectible children’s books.

First Edition Identification Points for Key Children's Books

The Children's Picturebook Price Guide includes a list of first edition identifying points for individual Caldecott Medal books, Dr. Seuss books, and several other key books, including Madeline, The Little Engine That Could, and Millions of Cats.

At the First Edition Blog link, we have started a category for listing detailed first edition identification points for key children's books. We are posting photographs of key points, since the visual is much easier to recall. The index is at First Edition Identification Points for Key Books.

For the beginning children's book collector a good place to start is collecting recent Caldecott Medal books. The Caldecott Medal winning books tend to stay in print for decades, with a large collector base, therefore the first edition copies usually appreciate over time as the supply of books are absorbed by collectors. The recent Caldecott Medal books can often be found in used books stores or Friends of the Library sales for modest amounts. Click on each title for first edition points: 

• 1994 - Grandfather's Journey
  
• 1995 - Smoky Nights
  
• 1996 - Officer Buckle and Gloria
  
• 1997 - Golem
• 1998 - Rapunzel
• 1999 - Snowflake Bentley
• 2000 - Joseph Had A Little Overcoat
• 2001 - So You Want To Be President?
• 2002 - The Three Pigs
• 2003 - My Friend Rabbit
• 2004 - The Man Who Walked Between Two Towers
• 2005 - Kitten's First Full Moon
• 2006 - Hello Goodbye Window
• 2007 - Flotsam

We have also documented first edition points for other children's books. A small sample of the books:

First edition Dr. Seuss books sell for a premium in the collectible book market, however are notoriously difficult to identify. In most cases, the dust jacket is necessary to properly identify a Dr. Seuss first edition book. A first edition Dr. Seuss book with dust jacket can sell for $1000's, while the book without the jacket will sell for less then $10.

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We might have included Chris Van Allsburg's Polar Express to the list. 

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Dr. Seuss First Edition Identification Points

Dr. Seuss’s Sleep Book, 1962

Childrens Picturebook Price Guide: $200 VG+

Dr. Seuss’s Sleep Book was the 17th large-format children’s book written and illustrated by Theodor Seuss Geisel, and twenty-first overall. The first edition continues to show up on eBay for modest prices a couple of times per month.

In addition to being an author/illustrator, at this time in his career Seuss was also the President of Beginner Books. We love the letter from the eight year old on the back dust jacket flap:

“Dear. Dr. Seuss,

You sure thunk up a lot of funny books. You sure thunk up a millian funny animels. Now this I want to know. Who thunk YOU up Dr. Seuss?”

First Edition Identification:

Back dust jacket with two boxes of Dr. Seuss books. Top box with sixteen large-format books, listed in two columns. The left column begins with Yertle and ends with 500 Hats; right column begins with Oobleck and ends with Mulberry Street. The lower box lists the four small-format Beginner Books, beginning with Cat In The Hat and ending with Green Eggs And Ham. No listing for Sleep Book on back dust jacket.

The front flap price is ‘295/295’, however is not necessary to identify a first edition.

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The Little Engine That Could; written by [Watty Piper, pseud.]; Illustrated by Lois Lenski; Platt & Munk, 1930.

Children’s Picturebook Price Guide Value – $920 VG+

Background

The Little Engine That Could has been widely popular since it's original publication in the 1930's, and is famous for bringing the refrain "I think I can! I think I can!" into the public's conscious. From the current publisher's website:

"The Little Engine That Could is a classic symbol of inspiration to children and adults everywhere. The words "I think I can" are as carved into our collective memory as "I have a dream," and "One small step for man". The Little Blue Engine's mantra pops up regularly in films, television, and conversation.

It was in 1930 that Platt & Munk, now owned by Penguin Putnam Inc., first published the story of The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper. The Little Engine puffed and chugged her way over the mountain and into the hearts of millions of children. With her courageous refrain, I Think I Can, I Think I Can, the little blue engine is part of American folklore, symbolizing the rewards of determination and good will. Currently available in twenty-two different formats, the story of the brave little engine is accessible to readers of all ages."

The Unresolved Authorship Controversy

The book accounted for a large portion of Platt & Munk's revenue during the 1930's and 1940's, however the origin of the story is very cloudy. 'Watty Piper' is not a real person, but instead a house name used by Platt & Munk beginning in the 1920's. In 1955, Platt & Munk offered a reward to anyone who could offer proof of authorship. Surprisingly, the prize was divided by three parties claiming authorship!

From John Tebbel's A History of Publishing in the United States (Vol. 4. The Great Change, 1940-1980. New York: R.R. Bowker, 1981, p. 476.):

Another firm with a single title successful enough to carry it for awhile, even if no other help had been available, was Platt & Munk, with its The Little Engine that Could, a story whose origins became a matter of dispute in 1955. Although the house had copyrighted its version of the tale in 1930 and published it under the house pseudonym of Watty Piper, subsequently selling more than 1 million copies, the claim was made that the story was first written and published by Mrs. Frances M. Ford, of Drexel, Pennsylvania, who was 102 years old in 1956.

First titled "The Little Switch Engine," it was said, the story first appeared in a newsletter of the After School Club of America on April 18, 1912. Platt & Munk offered a $1,000 award to anyone who could offer proof of authorship, discounting the Ford claim, but the results were indecisive, although the award was split among three people. It was determined only that the basic story had been told and retold under different titles, that it had appeared in print before 1911, and many have originated in Europe before the turn of the century.

So, in The Little Engine That Could, we have a book which has sold millions of copies, with over twenty variations currently in print, been the prime cause for entering a refrain into the public's conscious, and yet whose authorship is still questioned today. For more on the mystery surrounding The Little Engine That Could see Dr. Roy Plotnick's webpage In Search Of Watty Piper.

Platt & Munk and the Never Grow Old Series

In the late 1920's, Platt & Munk published the Never Grow Old Series of children's books. The books were published in boxed editions, with paste-down images on the front cover, issued without dust jackets, and have a black cloth spine. They are similar in format to the popular Volland children's books published during the 1920's, best known for the Johnny Gruelle Raggady Ann and Raggady Andy books. There were originally six titles in the Never Grow Old Series:

• Little Black Sambo
• The Tale Of Peter Rabbit
• The Little Red Hen and the Grain of Wheat
• The Cock, the Mouse, and the Little Red Hen
• The Three Little Pigs
• The Gingerbread Boy

In 1929 and 1930, Platt & Munk added three titles to the Never Grow Old Series:

• Pelle's New Suit
• The First Circus
• The Little Engine That Could

This boxed edition of The Little Engine That Could was illustrated by a relatively unknown artist, Lois Lenski. Lenski would go on to write and illustrate over 100 books in a career spanning five decades, including winning the Newbery Medal in 1946 for Strawberry Girl. The boxed edition of the The Little Engine That Could has blue cloth covers, black cloth spine, with a paste-down on the front cover, and was issued without a dust jacket. The illustration on the box cover matches that of the paste-down.

In the early 1930's, Platt & Munk stopped issuing the boxed editions of the Never Grow Old Series books, and changed the format to a dust jacketed version. The paste-down on the front cover remained, however the boards were changed to cloth, and the black cloth spine was eliminated. The nine books in the series were targeted for a wider distribution than the boxed edition, which was more expensive to produce. Another prominent book in the series is Little Black Sambo, with illustrations by Eulalie, which is the most popular of the numerous publications of the controversial Helen Bannerman classic.

The Never Grow Old Series books were published with the paste-down until about 1943. At that time, the use of the paste-down on the cover was discontinued, instead the cloth cover had a lightly embossed one-color inked image, either black or blue, which lowered the production costs. This format change could have been in response to the Little Golden Books, which began being published in 1943. Still, the Never Grow Old Series were sold for 60 cents each, while the LIttle Golden Books were priced at 25 cents.

In the tables that follow, twelve different versions of the The Little Engine That Could have been identified with the paste-down image on the front cover, being published between 1930 and 1942. (Note: We have identified more than a dozen issues without the paste-down, published from 1942 until the mid-1950's. Perhaps for another day.)

Significant among these are five versions with the Never Grow Old Series title's block (on the verso of the front free endpaper) ending with The Little Engine That Could. This point is a common misperception among booksellers and book collectors as the lone first edition identification point. See our previous post for first edition identification points for The Little Engine That Could.

Note: In each table, the red highlighted text indicates a change from the previous, i.e. earlier state, variant.

Book Variants - With Paste-down

We have identified six variations of the book with the paste-down, labeled 'A' through 'F' in the table.

The 'A' variant is the first edition book, with two key identifying points:
1) the Never Grow Old Series list on the verso of the front free endpaper, with nine titles, ending with The Little Engine That Could, and
2) the two lines on the bottom left of the cover beginning with "No. 358."

On the 'B' variant, the Never Grow Old Series also lists to The Little Engine That Could, however does not have the two lines on the front cover.

In the 'C' variant, the Never Grow Old Series lists to Lil' Hannibal, which was published in 1938.

In the 'D' variant, there is only a single line on the bottom left of the cover, beginning with 'No. 358." No trademark is signified on the cover of variants 'A' through 'D'.

In the 'E' variant, 'TRADE MARK' is added beneath the book's title.

The addition of a trademark to The Little Engine That Could is significant. All published books are copyrighted, a form of protection provided to the authors of "original works of authorship." Trademark protection is not typical for a book--actually highly unusual--and is designed to protect words, phrases, symbols or designs, that identifies and distinguishes the source of the goods from those of others. In this case, the refrain "I think I can, I think I can,", which had reached such a high level of identification within the U.S.

In variants 'A' through 'E', the date on the copyright page has been '1930,' in Arabic numerals. Roman numerals were used in later printings.

In the 'F' variant, the copyright page indicates two dates, in Roman numberals,  'MCMXXV' and 'MCMXXX' (1925 and 1930). Later states of the book dropped the 'MCMXXV' and only had ''MCMXXX' on the copyright page.

Dust Jacket Variants

 

We have identified eight variations of the dust jacket, labeled 'a' through 'h' in the table above. Four of the dust jacket variants, 'a' through 'd', have the book with the Never Grow Old Series title's block (on the verso of the front free endpaper) ending with The Little Engine That Could. Primacy is variant 'a', where the back DJ has 'BEAUTIFUL ONE DOLLAR BOOKS FOR CHILDREN;' later variants omit 'ONE DOLLAR.' Also, variant 'a' is the only issue with four titles listed on the back; later states have six titles listed.

On the back of dust jacket variant 'b' the 'ONE DOLLAR' is omitted, lists six books, and also changes the price to $1.25. Note that the list of six books is centered justified rather than left justified as in later issues. Both the front and back flap are blank on dust jackets 'a' and 'b'.

Variants 'c' and 'd' have a short synopis of The Little Engine That Could on the front flap, which includes highlighting the characteristic refrain, 'I think I can, I think I can.' The synopsis begins with:
     "This little classic of childhood is one of the most popular stories ever published".
This synopsis on the front flap was used on the book until the mid-1950's. We think variants 'c' and 'd' were published in 1934 to 1936.

We do not have the dust jacket for book variant 'B,' however, from the table, it is likely to have dust jacket variant 'd' or 'e.' We will leave the remainder of the dust jacket variant analysis to the reader.

Note: In each table, the red highlighted text indicates a change from the previous, i.e. earlier state, variant.

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Posted by Stan Zielinski at 08:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Children’s book collectors and many booksellers know of the collectibility of Caldecott and Newbery award winning books. Children’s early readers, or ‘Learn To Read’ books are also likely to develop as a collectible sector over the coming years.

For decades, early readers were prescribed by school administration, often in the form of the ‘Dick and Jane’ (which already has a large collector base). The advent of the Cat in the Hat and other Beginner Books, along with Little Bear and other I Can Read books, led to the demise of the prescribed reader. In 1961, Horn Book Magazine (Feb. 1961, pg 47-48) wrote:

EASY-TO-READ BOOKS

The idea behind the easy-to-read books which have flooded our libraries and bookstores since 1957 when Dr. Seuss’ Cat in the Hat and Else Minarik’s Little Bear (illustrated by Maurice Sendak) broke the dam seems to have been that children who have just learned to read want books which they can read but which look and sound like “real” books, not primers.

A good idea, the soundness of which is demonstrated by the children’s enthusiastic response. But let us not take advantage of such real enthusiasm. Let us give them a “real” book, not a spurious facsimile.

Looking over these quantities of series, one gets the impression that too frequently a few words are counted out from some word list, thrown together in large print, drowned in glaring colors, sewn into glossy covers, and sent to market. The number of words used is displayed conspicuously on the front, as if the publishers were competing for the lowest, as in a price war.

Already there are far too many titles for a single reader to read during the short period before they are ready for more substantial fare. There is thus no need for any library to carry all of them; better to buy many copies of the few titles worth reading.

Little Bear proved that it is possible for an easy-to-read to have beauty, charm, and integrity. Cat in the Hat show that real humor is also possible. Children deserve the best in books in this department just as much as in the others, and since the best is available if one looks hard enough, why put up with less?

Forty five years later, in 2006, the American Library Association created an award for beginning readers, aptly called,

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award

The Theodor Seuss Geisel Award, established in 2004, is given annually (beginning in 2006) to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished contribution to the body of American children’s literature known as beginning reader books published in the United States during the preceding year. The award is to recognize the author(s) and illustrator(s) of a beginning reader book who demonstrate great creativity and imagination in his/her/their literary and artistic achievements to engage children in reading.

The award is named for the world-renowned children’s author, Theodor Geisel. "A person’s a person no matter how small," Theodor Geisel, a.k.a. Dr. Seuss, would say. "Children want the same things we want: to laugh, to be challenged, to be entertained and delighted." Brilliant, playful, and always respectful of children, Dr. Seuss charmed his way into the consciousness of four generations of youngsters and parents. In the process, he helped them to read.

We believe over time, the Geisel Award will increase the collectibility of early readers, especially first editions of learn-to-read foundation books from the early 1960's, and also books that are staples within elementary school libraries. Since the selection group for the Geisel Award is the American Library Association, its nearly a guarantee the honored books will become staples within libraries--a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Currently first edition early readers, on a whole, are relatively inexpensive to collect.

2007 Medal Winner (from the ALA):

Zelda and Ivy: The Runaways by Laura McGee Kvasnosky (Candlewick)

The popular fox sisters return in this book with three adventures precipitated by their need to avoid the dreaded cucumber sandwiches dad is preparing. Strong character development and a superb book design that showcases framed gouache paintings combine to encourage young readers to reach the trio of hilarious outcomes.

“Our Geisel winner connects with readers by featuring a dilemma many young children understand,” said Geisel Committee Chair Ginny Moore Kruse. “Zelda and Ivy’s backyard escapades spark the imagination and make the reader want more.”

Click here for 2007 Honor Award Winners.

The 2006 Geisel Medal was Henry and Mudge and the Great Grandpas, written by Cynthia Rylant and illustrated by Suçie Stevenson (Simon & Schuster). From Kirkus Reviews

In the tenth book of their adventures, Henry realizes that Mudge has never been taught such commands as “sit” and “heel.” With the help of a patient teacher, home practice, and innumerable “liver treats,” the huge dog does learn to “stay,” at least long enough to pass his training course--though Mudge's forte is clearly being lovable rather than obedient. […] a fine story for beginners, with appealing characters, lifelike situations, and charmingly comical illustrations.

Links Are Our Friends

The information offered on the website and blog is offered free of charge. If you find the information useful, then kindly link or share the post with a parent, teacher, librarian, bookseller, or collector. Thank You.

Posted by Stan Zielinski at 01:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)