Dr. Seuss & Mr. Dahl: Children’s Classics in our windows.
Those who pass by our Fulham Road shop on a regular enough basis will already be aware that our window display changes frequently. Just in case you won’t have the chance to see it for yourself, we thought we’d keep you up-to-date on the books, prints and curiosities making an appearance each time. Here, we have a selection of Children’s literature
Dr. Seuss at Fulham Road
Dr. Seuss at Fulham Road
The Cat in the Hat.
New York: Random House, Inc., 1957
Octavo. Original pictorial blue boards, pictorial endpapers. With the dust jacket. A little rubbed to extremities, occasional light offsetting from illustrations. An excellent copy in the lightly rubbed jacket with wear to the ends of the spine panel.
First edition, first issue, with the price listed on the dust jacket as 200/200 and the boards not laminated as in later issues.
£3,500 – SOLD
The Cat’s Quizzer. Book Sold
New York: Beginner Books, Random House, 1976
Tall quarto. Original pictorial laminate boards, patterned endpapers. Mild rubbing to ends of spine and corners, an excellent copy.
First edition, first printing.
£325
The Five Star Theatre Presents: Foiled by Essolube.A Jig-Saw Melodrama. A 150 piece Moto Monster Puzzle featuring Zero-Doccus, Karbo-Nockus, Moto-Munchus, Oilio-Gobelus, Moto-Raspus. Sponsored by the Makers of Essolube. – SOLD
150-piece puzzle printed in colour on a cardboard backing (435 × 285 mm). With the original brown paper wrapper printed in black. Puzzle and wrapper window-mounted, glazed, and presented in a black and red wooden frame. Overall size: 101 x 63 cm. A couple of small spots to the lightly toned wrapper. In excellent condition.
During the 1930s, and prior to his career as an author, Theodore Geisel worked as an illustrator for the Standard Oil Company, where he designed the successful “Quick Henry, the FLIT!” bug-spray ads in which characters are menaced by gigantic Seussian pests. The artist’s contract with the company lasted for 15 years and covered numerous products. This puzzle is part of Standard Oil’s “Moto Monsters” campaign, featuring five car-damaging beasts who can be defeated by Essolube. It depicts a family happily driving away in their convertible as the monsters look on in annoyance, and advertises Essolube in the top right corner. An attractive puzzle in superb condition, this is one of the rare items that Seuss produced for children long before he was known as a children’s book author.
£1,650
Happy Birthday To You! – BOOK SOLD
New York: Random House, 1959
Quarto. Original pictorial paper covered boards, pictorial endpapers. With the dust jacket. Illustrated throughout by the author. Inscription to front free endpaper, in the dust jacket with moderate creasing to spine, chipping to ends of spine, light wear to front panel. A very good copy.
First edition, first printing. With the first printing point of the 5 white dots on page 32.
£250
Horton Hatches the Egg. – BOOK SOLD
New York: Random House, 1940
Quarto. Original brown buckram, titles to front cover in red. With the dust jacket. Housed in a cream cloth slipcase. Illustrated throughout by the author. Small bookseller’s ticket to rear pastedown. Extremities a touch sunned, board edges slightly bumped, spine cocked. An excellent copy in a lightly soiled and toned jacket with nicked and creased extremities, and a couple of small chips, partially affecting “Mulberry” on the front panel.
First edition, first printing. Considered one of the hardest Seuss titles to find in the first printing and with the un-restored dust jacket.
£12,750
Horton Hears A Who! – BOOK SOLD
New York: Random House, 1954
Quarto. Original pictorial paper covered boards. With the dust jacket. Illustrated throughout by the author. Mild rubbing to corners and edges, two small book plates to front blank including H. Bradley Martin’s, in the price clipped dust jacket with closed tear along front flap fold, light wear to extremities. A very attractive copy.
First edition, first issue.
£1,000
The Lorax.
New York: Random House, 1971
Quarto. Original pictorial covered boards. No dust jacket issued. Illustrated throughout by the author. Corners and ends of spine lightly rubbed, spine and rear cover toned and with spotting, inscription to front endpaper. A very good copy.
First edition, first issue with the three lines of copyright and highlighted yellow panel to back cover. Seuss’s environmental masterpiece.
£500
Lost World Revisited – BOOK SOLD
New York: Award Books, 1967
Octavo. Original illustrated printed wraps, page edges blue. Mild creasing along spine edge,toning to covers, faint stain to fore edge which extend slghtly onto pages, pages toned. A very good copy.
First edition, first printing. Inscribed by the author on the verso of the front free endpaper, “For Sam Hessel. with best wishes -Dr Seuss.” An uncommon title to be found inscribed. Collection of cartoons Seuss original did for Liberty Magazine in the 1930’s.
£725
Oh Say Can You Say? – BOOK SOLD
New York: Beginner Books, Random House, Inc., 1979
Octavo. Original laminate pictorial boards, patterned endpapers. An excellent copy.
First edition, first printing.
£500
Original drawing of a Seussian animal.
Pen and ink on wove paper. Sheet size: 17.7 x 20.3 cm. Light creasing to paper. Presented in a black wooden frame with non reflective glass.
A Seussian animal holding up a sign on a pole reading “For Judy, John, Willie and Charles”. Additionaly inscribed lower middle “With Very Best Wishes – Dr Seuss”
£1,500
Original drawing of Sam I Am carrying Green Eggs and Ham. – SOLD
.
Black felt tip on wove paper. Sheet size: 41 x 31 cm. Excellent condition. Presented mounted in a gilt wooden frame.
Inscribed Green Eggs and Ham by Dr Seuss in large Times bubble type face and signed Dr Seuss lower middle. A similar image appears on the title page of the book Green Eggs and Ham.
£12,500
The Seven Lady Godivas. – BOOK SOLD
New York: Random House, 1987
Tall quarto. Original tan cloth, titles to spine in bronze, pictorial endpapers. In the publisher’s matching cloth slipcase. Illustrated throughout by the author. A fine copy.
Commemorative limited edition, one of 300 numbered and specially bound copies signed by the author on the limitation leaf. Originally published in 1939.
£750
The Shape of Me and Other Stuff – BOOK SOLD.
New York: Random House, 1973
Octavo. Original laminated pictorial boards, titles to spine and front board in white and yellow, illustrated endpapers. With the pictorial dust jacket. Illustrated throughout by Dr. Seuss. Extremities a little rubbed, short closed tear to top edge of front free endpaper. A bright copy in a slightly rubbed jacket with one tiny closed tear to rear panel. Very good.
First edition, first printing, with $2.50 price to front flap of dust jacket and correct list of titles to rear panel.
£500
Sleep Book.
New York: Random House, 1962
Tall quarto. Original glossy pictorial boards, pictorial endpapers. With the dust jacket. Corners and ends of spine lightly rubbed, inscription to front endpaper and on verso, in the dust jacket with light rubbing to corners and ends of spine, light spotting along extremities. A very attractive copy.
First edition, first printing.
£400
The Sneetches and Other Stories.
New York: Random House, 1961
Quarto. Original pictorial boards, titles to front in black and white, pictorial endpapers. With the dust jacket. Illustrated throughout by the author. Gift inscription to front free endpaper. Spine ends and tips a little worn, board edges rubbed, contents slightly foxed. A very good copy in the jacket with spine ends and tips rubbed, creased and with shallow chips.
First edition, first printing, with the correct list of advertisements to rear flap and 295/295 price.
£400
Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories. – BOOK SOLD
New York: Random House, 1958
Quarto. Original pictorial paper covered boards, titles to front cover and spine in white and black. With the dust jacket. Illustrated throughout by the author. Small contemporary gift inscription to front free endpaper. Extremities slightly worn, joints a little tender, endpapers partially tanned and lightly foxed, contents toned and with occasional faint spot. An excellent copy in a rubbed and lightly chipped and scuffed jacket with one small brown speck to front panel.
First edition, first printing. Inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper verso, “For JUANITO, with best wishes – from Dr. Seuss.”
£1,250
You’re Only Old Once! – BOOK SOLD
New York: Random House, 1986
Quarto. Original green boards with brown cloth spine, titles to spine in silver. With the unclipped dust jacket. Illustrated throughout out in colour. An excellent copy.
First edition, first printing. Seuss’ take on growing old.
£250
Roald Dahl at Dover Street:
DAHL, Roald.
The BFG.Illustrations by Quentin Blake. – BOOK SOLD
London: Jonathan Cape, 1982
Octavo. Original light grey boards, titles to spine gilt. With the illustrated dust jacket. With black and white illustrations. Pages toned, a touch of sunning to spine of the dust jacket. A very good copy.
First edition, first impression.
£400
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Illustrated by Joseph Schindelman – BOOK SOLD
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1964
Octavo. Original dark red cloth, titles to spine gilt, to front board in blind, dark brown top edge, yellow endpapers. With the dust jacket. Frontispiece and illustrations throughout. A fine copy in a price-clipped jacket with a few minor nicks and creases to extremities and a short closed tear to rear panel.
First edition, first printing, with the six-line colophon on the final page which was cut to five in subsequent printings. The book was not published in Britain until 1967.
£1,750
The Commemorative Limited Edition of the Works of Roald Dahl. – BOOK SOLD
London: Harper Collins and Jonathan Cape, 1991
15 volumes, octavo. Original blue quarter morocco, spine lettered in gilt, weave pattern paper boards, top edges gilt, buff endpapers. Each copy housed in a matching weave pattern paper-covered slipcase and the whole contained in a large open fronted blue paper covered box. Illustrated throughout. A fine set.
Commemorative Edition limited to 500 numbered sets of which this is number 334. This edition was published to celebrated Dahl’s 75th birthday on 13th September 1991.
£2,100
Danny the Champion of the World – BOOK SOLD
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1975
Octavo. Original brown cloth-backed orange boards, spine lettered in gilt, pheasant vignette blocked to the front board in blind, blue-green endpapers, top edge purple. With the dust jacket. Illustrations by Jill Bennett throughout the text. Spine gently rolled, internally fine. An excellent copy in the bright jacket that has a slightly faded spine.
First edition, first printing. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper: “Willa, love Roald Dahl.”
£3,500
Dirty Beasts. Pictures by Rosemary Fawcett. – BOOK SOLD
London: Jonathan Cape, 1984
Quarto. Original illustrated boards, spine and front cover lettered in yellow, white, and red. No dust jacket, as issued.
Proof copy of the first edition, first impression, with publisher’s stamp “proof copy only” in black on the front free endpaper.
£425
The Enormous Crocodile. – BOOK SOLD
London: Jonathan Cape, 1983
Quarto. Original pictorial boards, spine lettered in black, front board lettered in red and black, green endpapers. Issued without a dust jacket. Illustrated throughout the text in colour by Quentin Blake. Boards a touch scuffed, minor wear to spine ends and corners. An excellent copy.
Inscribed by Dahl on the verso of the front free endpaper: “To Edward, love Roald Dahl”. A later printing of the book originally published in 1978.
£575
The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me.Illustrated by Quentin Blake.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1985
Quarto. Original illustrated boards, titles to front cover and spine in black, dark blue endpapers. No dust jacket issued. Small nick to foot of spine, extremities lightly rubbed, a couple of faint scuffs to boards, internally clean and bright. An excellent copy.
First edition, first impression. Signed by Roald Dahl on the title page. Rare signed.
£2,500
Going Solo. Signed – BOOK SOLD
London: Jonathan Cape, 1986
Octavo. Original blue boards, spine lettered gilt, pictorial endpapers. With the dust jacket. Portrait frontispiece, several photographs throughout text, 2 maps. A bright copy in a jacket with a small dampstain to bottom corner of front panel. Excellent.
First edition, first impression. Presentation copy inscribed by the author on the half-title, “Stephen & Rhona, Happy Christmas, Roald Dahl, 1986”.
£750
The Gremlins. From the Walt Disney Production.
New York: Random House, 1943
Quarto. Finely bound by The Chelsea Bindery in full red morocco, titles to spine gilt, single rule to boards gilt, block to front board gilt with multi-coloured morocco onlay of seven cavorting gremlins, twin rule to turn-ins, dark green endpapers, gilt edges. Illustrated throughout in colour and black and white. A fine copy.
First Edition, First Printing. Roald Dahl’s first book and his only collaboration with Walt Disney, The Gremlins was written as a promotional device for a feature-length Disney animation that was never produced, partly because the studio could not establish firm copyright in the “gremlin” characters (Dahl claimed to have invented them, though they had been common currency in the RAF and had appeared in print at least once before) and partly because the British Air Ministry wanted final approval of the script and production. It was eventually agreed that royalties would be split between the RAF Benevolent Fund and Dahl. The book is still described on the title and the front cover as being “From the Walt Disney Production”, although the Disney studio had written to Dahl in August 1943 cancelling any further preproduction work.
£2,500
James and the Giant Peach, A Children’s Story. Illustrated by Nancy Ekholm Burkert.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1961
Quarto. Original red cloth, titles to spine gilt, front cover with design copied from the frontispiece blocked in blind, apple green endpapers. With the printed colour dust jacket. Housed in a quarter leather clamshell box. Colour frontispiece, 5 full-page plates, 4 in full colour, the other coloured in one tint;19 illustrations in the text, of which 10 are coloured with one tint. A near fine copy in a bright dust jacket with some light rubbing to spine and corners.
First edition, first printing with the 5 line colophon on the last page.
£2,750
The Magic Finger.
London: George Allen and Unwin Ltd, 1968
Octavo. Original pictorial boards, titles to spine and front cover in black, pictorial endpapers. No dust jacket issued. Illustrated by William Pène du Bois. Light bumping to top edges, covers lightly soiled. A very good copy.
First UK edition, first impression. Inscribed by Dahl on the title page, “ To Tigs with love from Roald Dahl.”
£2,500
Rhyme Stew.
London: Jonathan Cape 1989
Octavo. Original blue boards, titles to spine gilt. With the dust jacket. Illustrated by Quentin Blake. Inscribee’s ownwership signature to rear pastedown in pencil. Tiny nick to rear board, light offsetting from author’s inscription to front pastedown and front flap of jacket. An excellent copy in a bright jacket with light fading and tiny closed tear to spine panel.
First edition, first impression. Inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, “Sonia, love, Roald Dahl”. A quirky collection of poetry.
£1,500
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1977
Octavo. Original blue boards, titles to spine gilt, yellow endpapers. With the dust jacket. Two pages of photographic illustrations. A bright copy in excellent condition in a jacket with faint crumpling to head of spine panel.
First edition, first impression. Inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, “For Betty Jane, Love, Roald Dahl, June 28 1978”.
£2,000
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