First Edition Identification
Dr. Seuss Beginner Books B-08
1959 Cowboy Andy
1959 B-08 Cowboy Andy
Edna Chandler. E. Raymond Kinstler (Illustrator). Cowboy Andy. New York. Beginner Books: 1959.
Pages#: 64 pages.
Book Description: Color illustrated boards wrapped in matching dust jacket. The 8th 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 experiences of city-boy Andy when he spends time at Cowboy Sam’s Ranch. Told using only 212 different words.
Pagination: Front fixed and free endpapers illustrated in color; [i] title; [ii] copyright; 3-65 story; [65] last page of story is on the recto of back free endpaper; 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 65 years with tens of thousands of copies sold. The author and illustrator are highly successful in the children’s book market with decades of success between them. Kinstler was a comic book illustrator in the 1940’s and 1950’s, before transitioning to portrait painting. His portraits of Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan hang in the White House. Some pop culture appeal, as Kinstler is considered “Perhaps America’s most important working portrait artist.” (see Everett Raymond Kinstler. Wikipedia. {https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everett_Kinstler})
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 | 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 $43, ranging from $45 to $40. 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. “COWBOY ANDY / By Edna Walker Chandler / ILLUSTRATED BY / E. RAYMOND KINSTLER”
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: “COWBOY ANDY CHANDLER Beginner Books, Inc. B-08 [horizontal]”
Title Page: “COWBOY / ANDY / Based on a story by / EDNA WALKER CHANDLER / By arrangement with Beckley-Cardy Company / Illustrated by / E. RAYMOND KINSTLER / Beginner Books, Inc. / DISTRIBUTED BY RANDOM HOUSE”
Copyright: “First Printing / (c) Copyright, 1959, by Beginner Books, Inc / All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. / Published in New York by Beginner Books, Inc., and simultaneously / in Toronto, Canada, by Random House of Canada, Limited. / [3 lines starting with ‘The text and illustrations for Cowboy Andy …’] / Manufactured in the United States of America”
DJ Front: Color illustration matching book cover. With added Beginner Books logo. “COWBOY ANDY / [Beginner Books logo] / By Edna Walker Chandler / ILLUSTRATED BY / E. RAYMOND KINSTLER”
DJ Back: Beginner Books DJ Back ‘D’: 1959 12 Titles
“What they say about / BEGINNER BOOKS / THE EDUCATORS: / “I was delighted with the Beginner Books … [… paragraph] / [Beginner Book logo] / THE PRESS: / “A real bonanza for the 1st … [… paragraph] / THE PARENTS: / “BEGINNER BOOKS are in my humble opinion, … [… paragraph] / / THE CHILDREN: “I love the BEGINNER BOOKS because I / can READ them!” — Kathy Winters (age 7) / ALREADY PUBLISHED / [First 12 BB titles listed in two columns of six] / 64 pages • color illustrations throughout • Each, $1.95 / Beginner Books, Inc. / DISTRIBUTED BY RANDOM HOUSE, 457 MADISON AVE. NEW YORK, 22 N.Y.”
DJ Spine: “COWBOY ANDY CHANDLER Beginner Books, Inc. B-08 [horizontal]”
DJ Price: $1.95 (on back cover)
DJ Flap Front: “[Beginner Books Logo] / COWBOY ANDY / Based on a story by / Edna Walker Chandler / Boys–and girls, too–who like cow- … [… paragraph] / Andy was city-bred but he wanted … […paragraph] / So his father made arrangements … [… paragraph] / Andy was teased a bit, too, espe- … […paragraph]”
DJ Flap Back: “[Two paragraph Edna Walker Chandler biography] / [One paragraph E. Raymond Kinstler biography]”
First Edition Identification
First edition book states ‘First Printing’ on the copyright page and has ‘B-8’ on the spine.
First edition dust jacket is Beginner Books 1959 DJ ‘D’ with 12 titles listed and with ‘B-8’ on the DJ spine.
Second Printings and Later
Second printing book omits ‘First Printing’ statement.
Second printing DJ is identical to the first printing DJ (1959 DJ ‘D’).
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.