First Edition Books Auction New York

Bloomsbury Auction for First Edition Books and Illustrations in New York - Sendak, Dr Seuss, A A Milne, Roald Dahl

Looking for first edition book bargains ? Then you might like to take a look at Bloomsbury's - Original Illustrations and Fine Illustrated Books auction on Wednesday 9, December at 2 p.m. in New York.

On offer is a total of 365 lots of rare and first edition books and illustrations from authors such as There auction includes works by Maurice Sendak, Dr Seuss, Tom Feelings, Beatrix Potter, A A Milne (Winnie the Pooh), Roald Dahl and many more.

You may be able to pick up a bargain for a few hundred dollars or if you feel inclined you can stump up $30,000 or so for a rare edition by Dr Seuss.

If you don't live in New York you can, of course, bid online (just see the link above and make sure you register in time), for those of you in New York you can view the works on offer prior to the auction on Saturday, Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday or by private appointment - just check with Bloomsbury's for the times.

Bloomsbury's state "The sale will showcase important works from the Golden Age of Illustration to the present day. It will commence with the artistic estate of award winning African American artist Tom Feelings (who) worked as a freelance illustrator of children’s books for over thirty years. ... Among the highlights of the sale is the entire collection of Feelings’ seminal 1996 work The Middle Passage ($250,000-$350,000)."

Here is a short list of a selection of the rare works on offer by famous authorors and illustrators - some of them are very hard to come by.

134. MILNE, A. A. (1882 - 1956) - SHEPARD, E. H. (Illustrator, 1879 - 1976). Winnie-the-Pooh. London: Methuen & Co., [1926]. Square 8vo (222 x 175 mm). Half-title, title vignette and numerous illustrations (a few full-page) after E. H. Shepard. Original blue cloth-backed paper-covered boards, cream paper title label on upper cover, uncut, dust-jacket. Condition: very slight discoloration to paper on covers, dust-jacket discolored at spine and extremities, head of spine chipped with loss of one word, some other chipping to extremities.

limited large-paper edition of 350 copies on 'hand-made paper' signed by author and artist, this copy numbered 58. An excellent copy of rare de luxe issue of the most famous English children's book of the first half of the 20th century.

est. $2000 – $3000


135. MILNE, A. A.; and E. H. SHEPARD (Illustrator, 1882-1956). Winnie-the-Pooh New York: E. P. Dutton, [1926]. Square 8vo (220 x 180 mm). Plates and in text illustrations by Shepard. Original cloth backed printed paper boards, spine label, lacking dust jacket. Condition: light dampstain to outer edge visible on rear board; shelfwear, offsetting to covers. number 192 of 200 large paper copies signed by both milne and shepard, the first american edition.

$1000 – $1500

136. MILNE, A. A. (1882 - 1956) - SHEPARD, E. H. (Illustrator, 1879 - 1976) Now We Are Six London: Methuen & Co., [1927]. Square 8vo (220 x 175 mm). Half-title, title vignette and numerous illustrations (a few full-page) after E. H. Shepard. Original oatmeal-colored cloth-backed brown paper-covered boards, cream paper label on upper cover (with a duplicate replacement tipped onto rear pastedown), uncut, dust-jacket, recent blue cloth box, blue morocco lettering-pice to 'spine' of box. Condition: slight discoloration to endpapers, slight fading, light soiling and small chips to dust-jacket.
limited large-paper edition of 200 copies on 'hand-made paper' signed by the author and artist, this copy numbered 16. An excellent copy: the third in the series of “Pooh” books.

$1000 – $1500

137. MILNE, A. A. (1882 - 1956) A collection of titles by A. A. Milne. Includes:
1) The Red House Mystery. London: Methuen, 1922. Original green cloth. first edition. Provenance: E. L. Spears (bookplate). milne's only mystery novel.
2) By Way of Introduction. London: Methuen, 1929. Original cloth in original printed dust jacket, original publisher's ad laid in. first edition.
3) Two People. London: Methuen, 1931. Original cloth in the original printed dustjacket. first edition. Inside jacket claims this is Milne's first attempt at a novel.
4) Four Days' Wonder. London: Methuen, 1933. Original cloth in the original printed dust jacket. first edition.
5) Chloe Marr. New York: Dutton, 1946. Original cloth in original printed dust jacket. first edition.
6) Peace with Honour. New York: Dutton, 1934. Original cloth in original printed dust jacket. first edition.
7) A large group of other titles in various bindings, many in the original printed dust jackets. Condition: some toning, some minor chips to jackets, some sunning, extremities lightly rubbed.
8) 'Winnie-the-Pooh Songs', three 45 RPM size vinyl discs produced by Stephen Slesinger.
9) Milne ephemera including: 'War with Honour', A Macmillan War Pamphlet. London: 1940; Winnie-the Pooh, Dramatized from the stories of A. A. Milne. Chicago: The Dramatic Publishing Company, 1957; Toad of Toad Hall, the souvenir program for the 1932 production; Winnie-the-Pooh and the Bees A Pop-Up Picture Book. London: Methuen, n.d. (c 1950s). A new full colour edition. Sold not subject to return. Full contents list available upon request. (71)

$1000 – $1500


144. POTTER, Beatrix (1866 - 1943) The Tailor of Gloucester London: Strangeways and Sons, Printers, December 1902. 16mo (146 x 116mm). Frontispiece in color and 15 plates. Original pink paperboards with a line drawing of three mice sewing on the front cover. Condition: light uniform toning at edges, few spots at fore-edge; endpapers and pastedowns lightly foxed, spine sunned with some light dustsoiling to covers.
first edition. privately printed and from a total edition of 500. This books differs considerably from the edition later published by Frederick Warne. It contains many more jingles and nursery rhymes as well as additional pictures. Potter herself paid for this colored printing of 500 copies. Strangeways printed the private editions of The Tale of Peter Rabbit and The Tailor of Gloucester.
Beatrix Potter first told the story of The Tailor of Gloucester in a letter from Beatrix to Freda Moore, daughter of her former governess, Annie Carter. The charming Christmas tale was the author’s personal favorite. Affixed to the front free endpaper is a thank you note to Potter’s first biographer Margaret Lane from Leslie Linder, who decoded Potter’s secret writing, March 19, 1966; he gives the same message in Potter’s secret code in another note on the facing endpaper. Osborne I. 379; Linder 420; Quinby 3.

$3000 – $4000

214. DAHL, Roald (1916 - 1990) and [Ray BOLGER, association]. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory New York: Alfred A. Knopf, [1964]. 4to. Illustrated by Joseph Schindelman. Original cloth, in original printed dust jacket. Condition: some light dust soiling; jacket lightly toned. Provenance: Ray Bolger (dedication from the author on the front-free endpaper).
first edition; ray bolger's copy. Signed 'Roald Dahl love' in ink for the actor Ray Bolger on the front-free endpaper. Later printing (five lines instead of six at the end of the colophon).
The American editon of this modern children’s classic preceded the British by three years. It is likely that Dahl met Bolger, the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz, when he was writing in Hollywood.
[With:] GALLICO, Paul. The Snow Goose. Small 8vo. Original blue cloth in original printed dust jacket. signed copy to ray and gwen bolger, inscribed 'affectionately, Paul Gallico' to the front-free endpapers. Condition: some slight toning, minor chips to jacket. (2)

$2000 – $3000

Permanent Link
215. DAHL, Roald (1916 - 1990) A collection of correspondences between Roald Dahl and his publisher Alfred A. Knopf 1) Buckinghamshire: 26 January 1973. 1 page. Typed letter signed 'Roald' to 'Dear Alfred' on 'Gipsy House/ Great Missenden' stationery. A witty reply, Dahl talks about working with Bob Gotlieb on his last children's book and his recent trip to a spiritual healer.
2) [New York:] 22 January 1973. 1 page. Retained carbon copy of a typed letter unsigned, from 'AAK' to 'Dear Roald'. A warm letter from Knopf praising Dahl's success and talking about imminent travels.
3) Buckinghamshire: 17 April 1973. 1 page. Facsimile copy of letter from Dahl to Knopf offering praise to Gotlieb, his editor, and for Max Perkins. He speaks of some other updates and on his new books, "I now have four of them toward a new collection- maybe 40, 000 words. Two or three more would do it. But you know, these damn children's books are such fun to do, they get you by the throat."
4) [New York:] 27 April 1973. 1 page. Retained carbon copy of a typed letter, unsigned, from 'AAK' to 'Dear Roald'. Knopf agrees with Dahl that Gotlieb's work is good, and that he has 'never found his display distasteful'.
5) Buckinghamshire: 22 September 1975. 1 page. Typed letter signed 'Roald' to 'Dear Alfred'. Dahl relays that he would be pleased to meet Susan Sheehan, Knopf's biographer, when she comes to London. Dahl recommends reading Danny.
6) [New York:] 3 October 1975. 1 page. Retained carbon copy of a typed letter, unsigned, from 'AAK' to 'Dear Roald'. A brief, but warm, note, Knopf says he intends to read Danny.
7) Buckinghamshire: 13 May 1980. 1 page. Typed letter signed 'Roald' to 'Dear Alfred' on 'Gipsy House/ Great Missenden' stationery. A note in witty tone, Dahl bemoans about working under the contract for Random House but reluctantly agrees to creating the three new books, 'I am doing it and that will be that.'
8) [New York:] 6 June 1980. 1 page. Retained carbon copy of a typed letter unsigned, but from Knopf, to 'Dear Roald'. Knopf relates to Dahl's displeasure with his publishers and continues on to discuss his publicizing of Dahl's 'My Uncle Oswald' (1979).
9) Buckinghamshire: 22 August 1980. 1 1/4 pages. Typed letter signed 'Love, Roald' to 'Dear Alfred' on 'Gipsy House/ Great Missenden' stationery. Dahl catches up with recent news. He writes, 'I now have three more children's books completed and sitting with Bob Gottlieb. Two have already been illustrated and are on the road to publication. The third called 'Dirty Beasts' which is a books of verse and is my favourite, is waiting for an illustrator…'
10) [New York:] 6 October 1980. 1 1/4 pages. Retained carbon copy of a typed letter unsigned, but from 'AAK' to 'Dear Roald'. Knopf speaks about common friends in the industry and talks about his publishing career as of late. (10)

$1000 – $1500

Permanent Link
216. DAHL, Roald (1916 - 1990) The Witches New York: Farrar, Straus Giroux, [1983]. 8vo (235 x 155mm). Pictures by Quentin Blake. Original blue cloth stamped in red metallic to front cover and spine, the De Luxe edition in the yellow slipcase. Condition: minimal dustsoiling, slipcase slightly stained. Provenance: 'Plymouth Mass/ March 18, 86' (inscribed in ink to rear pastedown).
limited de luxe edition signed by both the author and the illustrator. Numbered copy 68 of an overall limited edition of 300 The novel won the 1983 Whitbread Award (“funny, wise, deliciously disgusting, a real book for children”) and was made into a popular feature film by Nicolas Roeg in 1990. It has also been the frequent target of censorship and appears on the American Library Assiciation’s 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books.

$500 – $600

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217. DISNEY, Walt (1901 - 1966) Huey Hand-painted celluloid (235 x 207 mm). Animation cel of nephew Huey featured in the 1938 cartoon Donald's Golf Game.
Still in its original matte and frame, complete with its original Courvoisier background and indentifying tag. This painting is one of a select few that were released to art collectors; the remainder were destroyed.

$5000 – $8000

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218. DISNEY, Walt (1901 - 1966) Walt Disney’s version of Pinocchio. New York: Random House, [1939]. 41ff. Illustrated. Spiral-bound beige cloth with pictorial label. Condition: rubbing to spine ends and some minor water stains on the early leaves.
a presentation copy, inscribed in pencil on the copyright page, “To Barbara O’Connor with my best wishes Walt Disney.” numbered copy 77 of 100.
There had been a previous printing of 100 copies for America and another 100 for Great Britain. This book was issued to establish Disney’s copyright of elements of the production of Pinocchio a year prior to its release in the theaters. It contains the continuity script plus 29 pages of reproductions of storyboards and model sheets for Disney’s second animated feature film. Some of the characters did not make it into the final cut of the picture. Barbara O’Connor was probably the daughter of Pinocchio’s Art Director Kendall O’Connor.

$5000 – $8000

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219. DISNEY, Walt -- Studios Jiminy Cricket Original animation drawing in pencil (147 x 130 mm). Framed.
Drawing was used in the 1940 animated Disney feature Pinocchio Disney animator Ward Kimball was the creator of Jiminy, who became the first Disney feature character to speak directly to the audience.

$4000 – $6000

246. SEUSS, Dr. [Theodor Seuss Geisel] (1904 - 1991) The Cat in the Hat New York: Random House, 1957. Small 8vo. [62] pp. Decorated matte boards in dust jacket, the price on the front flap of the dust jacket is “200/200.” Condition: minimal wear. Younger/ Hirsch 7.
first edition. When John Hersey challenged Dr. Seuss in Life (May 24, 1954) to create a reader that was not as boring as the popular Dick and Jane textbooks, Ted Geisel responded with The Cat in the Hat (1957), the first of his Beginner Books. He based his verse primarily on a limited elementary school vocabulary list and played with rhymes of words with one syllable. The book was an immediate success, but most copies were read to pieces. Few have come on the market in this nice condition with the dust jacket intact.
[With:] Copy of the second printing in dust jacket: three signatures in decorated glossy boards; the price on the front flap of the dust jacket is “195/195.” [And:] A copy of the Hebrew edition of the sequel The Cat in the Hat Comes Back (1958). (3)

$5000 – $8000

322. SENDAK, Maurice (b. 1928) Where the Wild Things Are Photolithographs (each 265 x 525 mm). signed in ink. Complete set of four prints from Where the Wild Things Are, New York: Harper & Row, 1963.
Prints are reproduced in the exact size of the original watercolors in the Maurice Sendak Collection at the Rosenbach Museum & Library in Philadelphia. (4)

$2000 – $3000

323. SENDAK, Maurice (b. 1928) Wild Thing Balloon Two watercolors (each 220 x 170 mm). Executed for the front and back of the Wild Thing Balloon for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade; with two pencil studies for the balloon. .both signed and dated 'july-august 1998'. Together four works framed together.
exceptional watercolors of the most famous creature in Sendak’s classic picture book Where the Wild Things Are (1963). One drawing is annotated “The tail is not properly placed--as you can see!” (2)

$35000 – $45000

And that's just a selection - there are lots more in the catalogue available from the Bloomsbury site - see link above or to the left.

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