First Edition Identification
Dr. Seuss Beginner Books B-09
1959 The Whales Go By
1959 B-09 The Whales Go By
Fred Phleger. Paul Galdone (Illustrator). The Whales Go By. New York. Beginner Books: 1959.
Pages#: 64 pages.
Book Description: Color illustrated boards wrapped in matching dust jacket. The 9th book in the groundbreaking Beginner Book series, written specifically to help children learn to read while simultaneously engaging and entertaining them. The true story about whales and their migratory habits.
Pagination: Front fixed and free endpapers illustrated in color; [i] title; [ii] copyright; 3-62 story; [63] blank; [64] The Cat In The Hat illustration; blank 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. Phleger was a nationally recognized marine biologist. Galdone was a successful author and illustrator of children’s books 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 10 |
Scarcity Context
The first edition book in its original first edition DJ is Scarce to Uncommon: There was only 1 first edition found in the March 2024 survey priced offered at $20. This first edition is scarce, not rare, 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. “THE / WHALE / GO BY / BY FRED PHLEGER / Illustrated by / PAUL GALDONE” No Beginner Book logo.
Note: Click on any of the book’s images to see at larger scale.
Book Back: Bound in glossy yellow paper covered boards. Blank with no illustration or text.
Book Spine: “THE WHALES GO BY PHLEGER BEGINNER BOOKS, INC. B-09 [black horizontal text]”
Title Page: “THE / WHALES / GO BY / by / FRED PHLEGER / Illustrated by / PAUL GALDONE / Beginner Books, Inc. / DISTRIBUTED BY RANDOM HOUSE”
Copyright: “First Printing (c) Copyright 1959 by Fred Phleger. 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. Library / of Congress Catalog Card Number 59-9740. Manufactured in the United States of America.”
DJ Front: Color illustration matching book cover. With added Beginner Books logo. “THE / WHALES [Beginner Books logo top right] / GO BY / BY FRED PHLEGER / Illustrated by / PAUL GALDONE”
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: “THE WHALES GO BY PHLEGER BEGINNER BOOKS, INC. B-09 [black horizontal text]”
DJ Price: $1.95 (on back cover)
DJ Flap Front: “[Beginner Books Logo] / THE / WHALES / GO BY / by / FRED PHLEGER / [4 bulleted questions] / Dr. Phleger answers these and … [… paragraph]”
DJ Flap Back: “About the Author / [Two paragraph Dr. Fred Phleger biography] / About the Illustrator / [One paragraph Paul Galdone biography]”
First Edition Identification
First edition book states ‘First Printing’ on the copyright page and has ‘B-9’ on the spine.
First edition dust jacket is Beginner Books 1959 DJ ‘D’ with 12 titles listed
Note: There’s a 1961 printing with ‘First Printing’ stated on the copyright page and ‘Beginner Books / A DIVISION OF RANDOM HOUSE’ on the title page. The dust jacket is 1960 DJ ‘F’ version ‘c’ with 18 titles listed on the back and ‘Beginner Books / A DIVISION OF RANDOM HOUSE’. This is a much later printing and is not a first edition per the book collecting definition.
Second Printings and Later
Second printing book omits ‘First Printing’ statement.
Second printing DJ is identical to the first printing DJ (1959 DJ ‘D’).
Third printing book states ‘First Printing’ on the copyright page and ‘Beginner Books / A DIVISION OF RANDOM HOUSE’ on the title page.
You Will Go To The Moon Third Printing Copyright
Third printing DJ is Beginner Books 1960 DJ ‘F’ version ‘c’ with 18 titles listed. See Beginner Books Dust Jacket Backs from Chapter 52 of the First Edition Identification Guide: Beginner Books. So even though the copyright page clearly states ‘First Printing’ the book clearly is not.
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.