First Edition Identification
Dr. Seuss Beginner Books B-21
1961 Little Black, A Pony
1961 B-21 Little Black, A Pony
Walter Farley. James Schucker (Illustrator). Little Black, A Pony. New York. Beginner Books: 1961.
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 who migrates from his pony, Little Black, to the horse Big Red, only to have Little Black save the day in the end. Told using only 173 different words.
Pagination: Front fixed and free endpapers illustrated in color; [i] title; [ii] copyright; 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 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 63 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 | Collect ibility | Illust. | 1st Early Late | Author | Awards | Pop Culture | Copies Sold | Fran chise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 10 |
Scarcity Context
The first edition book in its original first edition DJ is Uncommon: There were 2 first editions found in the March 2024 survey, with an average price of $49, ranging from $50 to $48. This first edition is not scarce, just that the market price is too low for copies to surface.
First Edition Book & Dust Jacket Descriptions
Book Front: Bound in glossy paper covered boards with color illustration. “Little / Black, / A Pony / 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, A PONY Farley B-21 [black horizontal text]”
Title Page: “Little Black, / A Pony / By Robert Farley / Illustrated by James Schucker / BEGINNER BOOKS, INC. / A DIVISION OF RANDOM HOUSE”
Copyright: “(c) Copyright 1961 by Walter Farley. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conven- / tions. Published in New York by Beginner Books, Inc., and simultaneously in Toronto, Canada, by Random House of / Canada, Limited. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 61-7789. Manufactured in the United States of America.”
DJ Front: Color illustration matching Book Front. With added Beginner Books logo. “Little / [Beginner Book logo top right] / Black, / A Pony / By Walter Farley / Author of THE BLACK STALLION”
DJ Back: Beginner Books DJ Back 'H': 1961 24 Titles
“[Large Beginner Books logo] / A CHILD LEARNS TO READ… [… paragraph] / Books for / Beginners / Average Reading Vocabulary — / 204 words / [list of 19 BB titles starting with 'THE CAT IN THE HAT' to 'LITTLE BLACK A PONY'] / for BEGINNING Beginners / [list of 5 BB titles starting with 'GREEN EGGS AND HAM' to 'ARE YOU MY MOTHER?' / BEGINNER BOOKS • A DIVISION OF RANDOM HOUSE, INC. / 457 Madison Ave, New York 22, N.Y.”
DJ Spine: “[BB logo] BEGINNER BOOKS [black horizontal text] LITTLE BLACK, A PONY Farley B-21 [black horizontal text]”
DJ Price: 195/195
DJ Flap Front: “195/195 / [Illustration] / Little Black, / A Pony / by Walter Farley / The famous Walter Farley (whose … [… paragraph] / A child who loves ponies will lose … […paragraph] / This story is told with warmth … [… paragraph] / Walter Farley has used / only 173 different words / in this Beginner Book.”
DJ Flap Back: “[Drawing of Walter Farley] / [Three paragraph Walter Farley biography] / [drawing of James Schucker] / [One paragraph James Schucker biography]”
Note: First printing does not have the line “(c) Copyright 1961 by Walter Farley” at the bottom.
First Edition Identification
First edition book states “Published in New York by Random House” on the copyright page and has 'B-21' on the spine.
First edition dust jacket is Beginner Books 1961 DJ 'H' 'version 'a' with 24 titles listed See Beginner Books Dust Jacket Backs from Chapter 52 of the First Edition Identification Guide: Beginner Books.and with no (c) by Beginner Book Logo. Also the back DJ flap does not have the line “(c) Copyright 1961 by Walter Farley” at the bottom.
Second Printings and Later
Second printing book is identical to first printing.
Second printing DJ is Beginner Books 1961 DJ 'H' version 'b' with 24 titles listed
Little Black, A Pony Second Printing Back DJ Flap with “(c) Copyright 1961 by Walter Farley” \
See First Fifty Beginner Books for first edition identification of the first 50 Beginner Books.
See Beginner Books Dust Jacket Backs to see the chronological sequence of the Beginner Books dust jackets.
All of this information is sourced from the First Edition Identification Guide: Beginner Books (2024, Flying Moose Books), by Stan Zielinski.