First Edition Pumpkin Moonshine Auction

Pumpkin Moonshine

A first edition copy of Pumpkin Moonshine, Tasha Tudor's first book, is coming up for auction on July 12, 2007 at PBA Galleries.

Published by Oxford University Press in 1938, Pumpkin Moonshine first edition books do not surface for sale very often. There is currently only one first edition book with dust jacket on the market. The Children's Picturebook Price Guide estimates Pumpkin Moonshine to be valued at over $3,000 in Very Good condition. The first edition book being auctioned is in Near Fine condition, with a Very Good + dust jacket.

The photographs being displayed on this page are from the actual book being auctioned.

The July 12, 2007 PBA Galleries auction includes a rare first edition Curious George, along with a first edition The Little House, and a a first edition The Gremlins.

Pumpkin Moonshine Background

From the Women Children's Book Illustrators:

Pumpkin Moonshine published in 1938, was done as a gift for a young niece. The "dummy" book she took to editor Eunice Blake at Oxford University Press was bound in calico cloth. The publishers liked the look so well they produced Tudor's first five books in a calico-look binding, leading collectors to refer to Pumpkin Moonshine, Alexander the Gander, Linsey Woolsey, Dorcas Porkus and Country Fair as her "calico books."

Having illustrated nearly one hundred books, Tasha Tudor is well known for her delicate watercolor and ink illustrations. Tudor's artwork is often compared to Kate Greenaway and Beatrix Potter, which is not too surprising when one considers her 19th century lifestyle.

She had four children, and the Tudor's emulated a nineteenth-century rural lifestyle, on farms in Connecticut, New Hampshire and Vermont. These homes often lacked electricity and running water. The Tudor's washed clothes by hand, learned to spin and weave, made bread from scratch, and decorated their homes with antique furniture. From her Tasha Tudor website:

Her home, though only 30 years old, feels as though it was built in the 1830's, her favorite time period. Seth Tudor, one of Tasha's four children, built her home using hand tools when Tasha moved to Vermont in the 1970's. Tasha Tudor lives among period antiques, using them in her daily life. She is quite adept at 'Heirloom Crafts', though she detests the term, including candle dipping, weaving, soap making, doll making and knitting. She lived without running water until her youngest child was five years old.

Tasha Tudor has received two Caldecott Honor Awards, in 1945 for Mother Goose, and again in 1957 for 1 Is One. Tasha Tudor also received the Regina Medal from the Catholic Library Association in 1971 for her contributions to children's literature. and an honorary doctorate from the University of Vermont.

First Edition Identification - Book

The key identifying point is no additional printings stated on the copyright page. Pumpkin Moonshine Pumpkin Moonshine

First Edition Identification - DJ

Pumpkin Moonshine The key identifying point is the '$.75' price on the bottom of the front DJ flap.

Book Condition

Pumpkin Moonshine Pumpkin Moonshine being auctioned by PBA Galleries is in Near Fine condition, bound in original coated blue cloth with white spots; quite bright, clean and fresh. There is a slight tanline at the top edge of top board, see photo.

No fraying, smudging or soiling. Internally, nearly as issued. Binding is quite tight. Pages are creamy white with color illustrations vibrant and sharp

Pumpkin Moonshine
Pumpkin Moonshine
Pumpkin Moonshine

Dust Jacket Condition

Pumpkin Moonshine

The dust jacket on the Pumpkin Moonshine being auctioned by PBA Galleries is in Very Good + condition, with no tears, no chips, no holes, with sharp edges and corners. The dust jacket has slight sunning to the right, upper quadrant of front, and sunning to about half of the rear jacket panel. There is a tiny color flake to the 'S' in 'Moonshine' in the jacket title.

Links Are Our Friends

Linda and Stan Zielinski are "serious collectors having fun with fun books." They have collected children's picturebooks for over fifteen years, and spent six years combing bookstores, libraries, and the internet acquiring data for the Children's Picturebook Price Guide.

The information offered on the website and blog is offered free of charge. If you find the information useful, then kindly share the link with a parent, teacher, librarian, bookseller, or collector. Thank You.

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