First Edition Little Black Goes To The Circus!

First Edition Identification

1963 B-33 Little Black Goes To The Circus!

Walter Farley. James Schucker (Illustrator). Little Black Goes To The Circus!. New York. Beginner Books: 1963.

Pages#: 64 pages.

Book Description: Color illustrated boards wrapped in matching dust jacket. An early book in the groundbreaking Beginner Book series, written specifically to help children learn to read while simultaneously engaging and entertaining them. The story, by Black Stallion author Walter Farley, tells the story of a young boy's talented pony Little Black, and his experiences to join the circus. Told using only 197 different words.

Pagination: Front fixed and free endpapers illustrated in color; [i] title; [ii] copyright; [iii] dedication; 2-61 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 Very 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 hundreds of thousands of copies sold. Farley wrote The Black Stallion and a number of others children's books mostly centered around horses. Shucker was a successful magazine illustrator for decades. Some pop culture appeal.

The Collectibility of a first edition American picturebook is comprised of specific factors, as explained in detail at Factors Affecting Collectibility.

Scarcity Context

The first edition book in its original first edition DJ is Uncommon: There were 6 first editions found in the March 2024 survey, with an average price of $67, ranging from $100 to $25.

First Edition Book & Dust Jacket Descriptions

Book Front: Bound in glossy orange paper covered boards with color illustration. "Little Black / {Beginner Books logo top right] / Goes To The /Circus! / By Walter Farley / author of THE BLACK STALLION"

Note: Click on any of the book's images to see at larger scale.

Book Back: Bound in glossy orange paper covered boards. Blank with no illustration or text.

Book Spine: "[BB logo] BEGINNER BOOKS [black horizontal text] Little Black Goes To The Circus Farley B-33 [black horizontal text]"

Title Page: "Little Black / Goes To / The Circus / By Walter Farley / [illustration] / WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY / James Schucker / Beginner Books, a division of Random House, Inc."

Copyright: "(c) Copyright 1963 by Dr. Walter Farley. 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: 63-13866. Manufactured in / the United States of America."

DJ Front: Color illustration matching Book Front. "Little Black / {Beginner Books logo top right] / Goes To The /Circus! / By Walter Farley / author of THE BLACK STALLION"

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] Little Black Goes To The Circus Farley B-33 [black horizontal text]"

DJ Price: 195/195

DJ Flap Front: "195/195 [top right] / Little Black Goes / To The Circus! / By Walter Farley / Author of THE BLACK STALLION books / and LITTLE BLACK, A PONY / Here is another of Mr. Farley's exciting ... [... paragraph] / The ringmaster of a traveling circus ... [...paragraph] / In LITTLE BLACK GOES TO THE ... [... paragraph] / James Schucker has added charm and / sprightliness with his illustrations. / LITTLE BLACK GOES / TO THE CIRCUS / comes from the home of / THE CAT IN THE HAT / Beginner Books / A DIVISION OF RANDOM HOUSE, INC."

DJ Flap Back: "[Photo of Walter Farley} / [Two paragraph Walter Farley biography] / [One paragraph James Schucker biography] / [drawing of James Schucker] / (c) 1963 by Walter Farley"

First Edition Identification

First edition book states "Published in New York by Beginner Books, a division of Random House" on the copyright page and has 'B-32' 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.