First Edition Identification
Dr. Seuss Beginner Books B-28
1962 The Big Honey Hunt
1962 B-28 The Big Honey Hunt
Stan & Jan Berenstain. The Big Honey Hunt. New York. Beginner Books: 1962.
Pages#: 64 pages.
Book Description: Color illustrated boards wrapped in matching dust jacket. The first book in the Berenstain Bears franchise one of the most successful children's book franchises ever. An astounding 39 Berenstain Bears paperback books made the 'All-Time Bestselling Children's Books' according to Publisher's Weekly.One of the 'All-Time Bestselling Children's Books' according to Publisher's Weekly.
Also an early book in the groundbreaking Beginner Book series, written specifically to help children learn to read while simultaneously engaging and entertaining them. Told using only 150 different words.
Pagination: Front fixed and free endpapers illustrated in color; [i] title; [ii] copyright; 3-63 story; [64] small color illustration; back free and fixed endpaper illustrated in color.
Collectibility Context
The first edition book in its original first edition DJ is a Prestige 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 hundreds of thousands of copies sold. The Berenstain's created the Berenstain Bear franchise, monstrously successful within the children's book publishing industry. The first Berenstain Bear book therefore considerable 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 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 10 |
Scarcity Context
The first edition book in its original first edition DJ is Uncommon: There were 8 first editions found in the March 2024 survey, with an average price of $356, ranging from $1,995 to $75.
First Edition Book & Dust Jacket Descriptions
Book Front: Bound in glossy green paper covered boards with color illustration. “The / Big / Honey / Hunt / by / Stanley and Janice / Berenstain”
Note: Click on any of the book's images to see at larger scale.
Book Back: Bound in glossy green paper covered boards. Blank with no illustration or text.
Book Spine: “[BB logo] BEGINNER BOOKS [black horizontal text] The Big Honey Hunt Berenstain B-28 [black horizontal text]”
Title Page: “The / Big / Honey / Hunt / By Stanley and Janice Berenstain / [illustration] / BEGINNER BOOKS / A DIVISION OF RANDOM HOUSE, INC.”
Copyright: “(c) Copyright 1962 by Stanley and Janice Berenstain. 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: 62-15115. Manufactured in / the United States of America.”
DJ Front: Color illustration matching Book Front. With added Beginner Books logo. “The / Big / [Beginner Book logo top right] / Honey / Hunt / by / Stanley and Janice / Berenstain”
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] The Big Honey Hunt Berenstain B-28 [black horizontal text]”
DJ Price: 195/195
DJ Flap Front: “195/195 [top right] / The Big Honey Hunt / Stanley and Janice / Berenstain / When a bear wants honey, there are … [… paragraph] / Poppa Bear, in this story, wasn't … […paragraph] / The really smart people are Stan- … [… paragraph] / They wrote a book that will make be- … [… paragraph] / Their book will encourage the child … [… paragraph] / This book comes from / the home of / THE CAT IN THE HAT / Beginner Books / A DIVISION OF RANDOM HOUSE, INC”
DJ Flap Back: “[illustration} / The Berenstains at Work [photo caption] / As regular contributors to McCall's … [… paragraph] / With this, their first Beginner Book, / Fair enough? / The amazing work habits of this … [… paragraph] / We hear that, simultaneously with … [… paragraph] /(c) Copyright 1962 by Stanley and Janice Berenstain”
First Edition Identification
First edition book states “Published in New York by Random House” on the copyright page and has 'B-28' on the spine.
First edition dust jacket is Beginner Books 1962 DJ 'J' version 'a' with 28 titles listed on the back DJ See Beginner Books Dust Jacket Backs from Chapter 52 of the First Edition Identification Guide: Beginner Books.and does not have “0514-6” on its bottom right.
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
BB-28 The Big Honey Second Printing Back DJ with “0514-6” \
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.