First Edition Dr. Seuss's ABC
First Edition Identification
1963 B-30 Dr. Seuss's ABC
Dr. Seuss. Dr. Seuss's ABC. New York. Beginner Books: 1963.
Pages#: 64 pages.
Book Description: Color illustrated boards wrapped in matching dust jacket. The 30th Beginner Books, Dr. Seuss's alphabet book. The reader follows Ichabod and Izzy - two fun yellow dogs - as they travel through the alphabet meeting characters whose name begins with that letter. Told in a simple rhyming scheme. One of the 'All-Time Bestselling Children's Books' according to Publisher's Weekly.
Pagination: Front fixed and free endpapers illustrated in color; [i] title and copyright; [ii] blank; 3-63 story; [64] blank; back free and fixed endpaper illustrated in color.
Collectibility Context
The first edition book in its original first edition DJ is a Prestige Collectible: Early book in ground breaking Beginner Books series, which changed the way children learned to read in America. Embraced by the public for 61 years with millions of copies sold. The 18th bestselling children's hardback of all-time.
The Collectibility of a first edition American picturebook is comprised of specific factors, as explained in detail at Factors Affecting Collectibility.
| Scarcity | Collect ibility | Illust. | 1st Early Late | Author | Awards | Pop Culture | Copies Sold | Fran chise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 9 | 10 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 7 | 10 | 10 |
Scarcity Context
The first edition book in its original first edition DJ is Uncommon: There were 8 first editions found in the March 2024 survey, with an average price of $316, ranging from $650 to $75.
First Edition Book & Dust Jacket Descriptions
Book Front: Bound in glossy white paper covered boards with color illustration. "Dr. Seuss's / [Beginner Book logo top right] / A / B / C"
Note: Click on any of the book's images to see at larger scale.
Book Back: Bound in glossy blue paper covered boards. Blank with no illustration or text.
Book Spine: "[BB logo] BEGINNER BOOKS [black horizontal text] Dr. Seuss's ABC B-30 [black horizontal text]"
Title Page: "Dr. Seuss's / ABC / [illustration] / By Dr. Seuss / BEGINNER BOOKS / A DIVISION OF RANDOM HOUSE, INC. / [three-line copyright statement]"
Copyright: "(c) Copyright 1963 by Dr. Seuss. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. / Published in New York by Random House, Inc., and simultaneously in Toronto, / Canada, by Random House of Canada, Limited. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 63-17261. Manufactured in / the United States of America."
DJ Front: Color illustration matching Book Front. "Dr. Seuss's / [Beginner Book logo top right] / A / B / C"
DJ Back: Beginner Books DJ Back 'L': 1963 33 Titles
"If you're learning to read ... / FIRST learn the alphabet / with DR. SEUSS'S ABC / [BB logo] / THEN discover the excitement of words / and sounds with Dr. Seuss's HOP ON POP / and ONE FISH TWO FISH RED FISH BLUE FISH / THEN you're ready to read these simple stories: / (50-100 Word Vocabularies) / [list of 7 BB titles starting with 'GREEN EGGS AND HAM' to 'SNOW' / THEN up you go in the number of words / These books are listed in order of reading easiness (175-300 Word Vocabularies) / [list of 23 BB titles starting with 'THE CAT IN THE HAT' to 'LITTLE BLACK GOES TO THE CIRCUS'] / THEN you won't quite yet be ready for college. / But, as a child of 5-8, you'll be on your way."
DJ Spine: "[BB logo] BEGINNER BOOKS [black horizontal text] Dr. Seuss's ABC B-30 [black horizontal text]"
DJ Price: 195/195
DJ Flap Front: "195/195 [top right] / Dr. Seuss's / A B C / Here are the same old 26 Letters / of the Alphabet / Dr. Seuss has added no new ones / What the Doctor has added is new ... [... paragraph] / It is NOT the purpose of this / book to help a child merely memo- / rize his ABCs. / It is to help the child enjoy the ... [... paragraph] / This book comes from / the home of / THE CAT IN THE HAT / Beginner Books / A DIVISION OF RANDOM HOUSE, INC."
DJ Flap Back: "How to select / Dr. Seuss books / for your children / HIS BEGINNER BOOKS: / Written for children who are learning / to read, these books are best read in / the following order: / [6 titles] / HIS BIGGER-SIZED BOOKS:. / Written just for fun. Anyone will en- / joy these in any order imaginable: / [17 titles] /(c) 1963 by Dr. Seuss"
First Edition Identification
First edition book states "Published in New York by Random House" on the copyright page and has 'B-30' on the spine.
First edition dust jacket is Beginner Books 1963 DJ 'L' with 33 titles listed on the back DJ.
Second Printings and Later
Second printing book is identical to first printing.
Second printing DJ is Beginner Books 1965 DJ 'N' with 37 titles listed.
See Beginner Book Fronts for first edition identification of the first 50 Beginner Books.
This information is from the First Edition Identification Guide: Beginner Books (2024, Flying Moose Books), by Stan Zielinski.
© Stan Zielinski
A serious collector having fun with fun books.
Attribution
© Stan Zielinski. Author of the Children's Picturebook Price Guide
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