First Edition Identification
Dr. Seuss Beginner Books B-26
1962 I Was Kissed By A Seal At The Zoo
1962 B-26 I Was Kissed By A Seal At The Zoo
Helen Palmer. Lynn Fayman (photos) (Illustrator). I Was Kissed By A Seal At The Zoo. New York. Beginner Books: 1962.
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 Helen Palmer, the wife of Dr. Seuss, is a photographic journey of a child's visit to the zoo. Told using only 199 different words.
Pagination: Front fixed and free endpapers illustrated in color; [i] half-title; [ii] 1st page of title and copyright; [iii] 2nd page of title; 2-62 story; 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 62 years with tens of thousands of copies sold. Palmer, Ted Geisel's wife, was a successful children's book author. Lynn Fayman was a very successful photographer whose work was recognized by the La Jolla Museum of art with 'The Photographic Art Of Lynn Fayman' (1969). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 10 |
Scarcity Context
The first edition book in its original first edition DJ is Scarce to Uncommon: There were 2 first editions found in the March 2024 survey, with an average price of $50, ranging from $50 to $50. 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 white paper covered boards with B&W photograph. “I Was / Kissed / by a Seal / at the / Zoo / By Helen Palmer / with photographs by / Lynn Fayman”
Note: Click on any of the book's images to see at larger scale.
Book Back: Bound in glossy white paper covered boards. Blank with no illustration or text.
Book Spine: “[BB logo] BEGINNER BOOKS [black horizontal text] I was Kissed by a Seal at the Zoo Palmer B-26 [black horizontal text]”
Title Page: “I was / Kissed / by a Seal / at the Zoo / By Helen Palmer / BEGINNER BOOKS / A DIVISION OF RANDOM HOUSE, INC. / [five-line copyright statement]”
Copyright: “(c) Copyright 1962 by Helen Palmer. 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: 62-15113. Manufactured in the / United States of America.”
DJ Front: Color illustration matching Book Front. With added Beginner Books logo. “I was / [Beginner Book logo top right] / Kissed / by a Seal / at the / Zoo / By Helen Palmer / with photographs by / Lynn Fayman”
DJ Back: Beginner Books DJ Back 'J': 1962 28 Titles
“[Large Beginner Books logo] / Beginner Books / 176- to 275- word vocabulary / [list of 21 BB titles starting with 'THE CAT IN THE HAT' to 'LOOK OUT FOR PIRATES!'] / Books for BEGINNING Beginners / [list of 7 BB titles starting with 'GREEN EGGS AND HAM' to 'THE BIG HONEY HUNT' / 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] I was Kissed by a Seal at the Zoo Palmer B-26 [black horizontal text]”
DJ Price: 195/195
DJ Flap Front: “195/195 [top right] / I was Kissed / by a Seal / at the Zoo / [photograph] / by Helen Palmer / with photographs by / Lynn Fayman / Helen Palmer asked some children / “What would you do if you went to / the zoo?” / Who would dream that children would … [… paragraph] / Lynn Fayman was around with has … […paragraph] / This book, with its 199-word vocabul- … [… paragraph] / This book comes from / the home of / THE CAT IN THE HAT / Beginner Books / A DIVISION OF RANDOM HOUSE, INC.”
DJ Flap Back: “[Photo of Lynn Fayman and Helen Palmer] / Left to right: Lynn Fayman, A Cheetah, / Helen Palmer [photo caption] / [Two paragraph Lynn Fayman biography] / [Two paragraph Helen Palmer biography] / (c) Copyright 1962 by Helen Palmer”
First Edition Identification
First edition book states “Published in New York by Random House” on the copyright page and has 'B-26' on the spine.
First edition dust jacket is Beginner Books 1962 DJ 'J' version 'a' with 28 titles listed on the back DJ and does not have “0513-4” on its bottom right. See Beginner Books Dust Jacket Backs from Chapter 52 of the First Edition Identification Guide: Beginner Books.
Second Printings and Later
Second printing book is identical to first printing.
Second printing DJ is Beginner Books 1962 DJ 'J' version 'b' with 28 titles listed on the back DJ and “0513-4” on its bottom right. See Beginner Books Dust Jacket Backs from Chapter 52 of the First Edition Identification Guide: Beginner Books.
BB-26 Second Printing Back DJ with “0513-4”
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.