First Edition Identification
Dr. Seuss Beginner Books B-22
1961 Look Out For Pirates!
1961 B-22 Look Out For Pirates!
Iris Vinton. H.B. Vestal (Illustrator). Look Out For Pirates!. 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 tells of how Captain Jim and his men outsmart some bad pirates. Told using only 177 different words.
Pagination: Front fixed and free endpapers illustrated in color; dedication on verso of front free endpaper; [i] title and copyright; 2-63 story; [64] small color ship illustration; back free and fixed endpaper illustrated in color.
Collectibility Context
The first edition book in its original first edition DJ is a Solid 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 tens of thousands of copies sold. Vinton was a successful children's book author for decades. Vestal was a successful pulp artist for decades. Little 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 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 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 $129, ranging from $200 to $58. 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 teal paper covered boards with color illustration. “Look Out / For Pirates! / By IRIS VINTIN / Illustrated by H. B. VESTAL”
Note: Click on any of the book's images to see at larger scale.
Book Back: Bound in glossy teal paper covered boards. Blank with no illustration or text.
Book Spine: “[BB logo] BEGINNER BOOKS [black horizontal text] Look Out For Pirates vintonl B-22 [black horizontal text]”
Title Page: “Look Out / For Pirates! / BY IRIS VINTIN / [illustration] / ILLUSTRATED BY H. B. VESTAL / BEGINNER BOOKS / A DIVISION OF RANDOM HOUSE, INC. / [three-line copyright statement]”
Copyright: “(c) Copyright 1961 by Iris Vinton. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Pub- / lished in New York by Beginner Books, Inc., and simultaneously in Toronto, Canada, by Random House of Canada, / Limited. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 61-7790. Manufactured in the United States of America.”
DJ Front: Color illustration matching Book Front. With added Beginner Books logo. “Look Out / [Beginner Book logo top right] / For Pirates! / By IRIS VINTIN / Illustrated by H. B. VESTAL”
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] Look Out For Pirates vintonl B-22 [black horizontal text]”
DJ Price: 195/195
DJ Flap Front: “195/195[top right] / [Illustration] / Look Out / For Pirates! / By IRIS VINTON / LOOK OUR FOR PIRATES is for … [… paragraph] / Iris Vinton has used only 177 … […paragraph] / It is this authentically and dramati- / cally illustrated by H. B. Vestal”
DJ Flap Back: “[Cartoon of Iris Vinton typing in a boat] / [Two paragraph Iris Vinton biography] / [Cartoon of H.B Vestal painting in a boat] / [One paragraph H.B. Vestal biography]”
Note: First printing does not have the line “(c) Copyright 1961 by Iris Vinton” at the bottom.
First Edition Identification
First edition book states “Published in New York by Random House” on the copyright page and has 'B-22' on the spine.
First edition dust jacket is Beginner Books 1961 DJ 'H' version 'b' with 24 titles listed See Beginner Books Dust Jacket Backs from Chapter 52 of the First Edition Identification Guide: Beginner Books. and the back DJ flap does not have the line “(c) Copyright 1961 by Iris Vinton” 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
Look Out For Pirates! Second Printing Back DJ Flap with “(c) Copyright 1961 by Iris Vinton” \
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.