Children's
Rare first editions, signed and inscribed copies, deluxe and collectible editions of books, pamphlets, and ephemera relating to books written for children or juveniles.
First editions of children's classics, including Roald Dahl, Beatrix Potter, J. K. Rowling, A. A. Milne and J. M. Barrie.From the blog: 'Dear Boys and Girls': Enid Blyton's personal brand
Harry Potter and the Literary Allusions: J. K. Rowling's influences
"Too Fancy and Ingenious": children's books by adult writers
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RACKHAM, Arthur (illus.); EVANS, C. S. Cinderella.London : 1972
Handsomely bound reprint of the Rackham edition of Cinderella which was first published in 1919.
Learn More£500.00Stock Code: 140362
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NESBIT, Edith. The Story of the Amulet.London : 1906
First edition, first impression, of the concluding work in Nesbit's children's trilogy. Preceded by Five Children and It and The Phoenix and the Carpet, Nesbit's time-travelling narrative is notable for including a trip into the future, featuring Nesbit's vision of a socialist utopia in which H. G. Wells is venerated as a reformer. Nesbit was one of... Learn More£850.00Stock Code: 140035
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JOHNS, Captain W. E. Biggles Sorts it Out.Leicester : 1967
First edition, first impression, of the 88th Biggles book. Learn More£350.00Stock Code: 139515
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DAHL, Roald. George's Marvellous Medicine.London : 1981
First edition, first impression. Learn More£600.00Stock Code: 138960
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LEIGHTON, Clare. The Musical Box.London & New York : 1932
First edition, first printing, presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper "To dear Ada and Jessey, hoping they are still young enough to enjoy this. With much love from Clare Christmas 1932." One of Leighton's scarcer titles, this was her first picture book for children. Loosely laid in is a pamphlet featuring two woodcuts... Learn More£650.00Stock Code: 137970
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GRAHAME, Kenneth; PAYNE, Wyndham (illus.) The Wind in the Willows.London : 1927
First Wyndham Payne edition, first impression. The Wind in the Willows was only published with a frontispiece when it first appeared in 1908. Wyndham Payne is the first British illustrator of this work, preceding E. H. Shepard by four years. "Payne's contribution was to place the characters in unmistakably English countryside. His inspired conception... Learn More£700.00Stock Code: 137879
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SUTCLIFF, Rosemary. The Chronicles of Robin Hood.Oxford : 1950
First edition, first impression, of the author's first published book.
Rosemary Sutcliff (19201992) was an English novelist best known for children's books, especially historical fiction and retellings of myths and legends. She spent most of her life in a wheelchair, and "most of Sutcliff's intellectual stimulus had come from books read aloud... Learn More£500.00Stock Code: 135706
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ROBINSON, W. Heath. The Adventures of Uncle Lubin.London : 1902
First edition, Robinson's fantasy for children illustrated by himself, revealing "a truly original imagination and sense of humour" (ODNB). Learn More£2,250.00Stock Code: 144433
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RACKHAM, Arthur (illus.); GRIMM, [Jacob & Wilhelm]. Little Brother & Little Sister and other tales.London : 1917
Signed limited edition, number 340 of 525 copies signed by the artist, with the extra plate that is often missing ("He Hurried Away with Long Strides") also signed by the artist bound in at the back. Learn More£3,750.00Stock Code: 102175
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HAWTHORNE, Nathaniel. A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys.Boston : 1852
First edition of Hathorne's re-telling of ancient myths, first state with "lifed" (for "lifted") at page 21, line 3; there are various colours of cloth without priority. Learn More£1,250.00Stock Code: 144441
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BALLANTYNE, R. M. The Gorilla Hunters.London : 1861
First edition of Ballantyne's adventure in which the three characters from his most successful novel, Coral Island (1858), meet up some years later and set off in pursuit of gorillas. Ballantyne had been inspired by the arrival in England of Paul Du Chaillu, an anthropologist who had observed and studied gorillas in West Africa, who characterized the... Learn More£3,500.00Stock Code: 144253
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BLAKE, William (engr.); GAY, John. Fables.London : 1793
First edition thus, large paper copy, with 12 plates engraved by William Blake, based largely on designs from earlier editions, particularly those of John Wootton and William Kent for the first edition of 1727. Keynes notes that the first Blake plate, "The Shepherd and the Philosopher", is the most characteristically Blakean of the illustrations.
Gay's... Learn More£1,750.00Stock Code: 143914
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SEUSS, Dr. Hop on Pop.New York : 1963
First edition, first printing. Learn More£575.00Stock Code: 124783
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STROUD, Jonathan. The Amulet of Samarkand.London : 2003
First edition, first impression, of the first volume in the Bartimaeus Trilogy. Learn More£50.00Stock Code: 143294
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DISNEY, Walt. Snow White and the Magic Mirror.London : 1939
First edition, first printing. A 3-D image book complete with the original glasses. Learn More£275.00Stock Code: 143912
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RANSOME, Arthur. Swallows and Amazons.London : 1931
First fully illustrated edition, published a year after the first edition. Ransome disliked the proposed illustrations by Steven Spurrier for the first edition, and it had been issued only with a frontispiece. Learn More£2,950.00Stock Code: 133864
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BAUM, L. Frank. The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus.Indianapolis : 1902
First edition, first printing. Baum is best known for the Wizard of Oz books, in two of which Santa Claus features as a guest of Oz. Learn More£3,950.00Stock Code: 107961
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KING, Jessie Marion (illus.); GEMMELL, Marion. Mummy's Bedtime Story Book.London : [1929]
First edition, first impression. Marion Gemmell has only recently been acknowledged as an author, since for many years the identity of "Marion" was assumed to be the illustrator herself, Jessie Marion King. It is only quite recently that the descendants of Mrs Alexander (Marion) Gemmell have affirmed her as the author (B199, Colin White bibliography).... Learn More£2,500.00Stock Code: 144314
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WILDE, Oscar. A House of Pomegranates.London : 1891
First edition, first impression, one of 1,000 copies. A House of Pomegranates contains "more ornate fairy-stories than the Happy Prince collection and more directly socialist" (ODNB). This edition is richly illustrated by the noted and prolific art nouveau designers Charles Ricketts and Charles Shannon. This copy features notably well-defined examples... Learn More£2,500.00Stock Code: 143979
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(CARROLL, Lewis.) WILLIAMS, Sidney Herbert (ed.) Some Rare Carrolliana.London : 1924
First and sole edition, number 24 of 75 copies signed by the editor on Abbey Mills antique paper; a further 4 copies signed on hand made paper were also issued. Williams was a renowned Carroll scholar and author of the first major bibliography of Carroll, The Lewis Carroll Handbook (1924). Learn More£500.00Stock Code: 140563
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DARWIN, Bernard & Elinor. Mr. Tootleoo and Co.London : 1935
First edition, first printing. This is the final Mr. Tootleoo book. Bernard Darwin (18761961) was the grandson of the naturalist Charles Darwin. He and his wife collaborated on their children's books, with Bernard providing the text, and Elinor the illustrations. Learn More£600.00Stock Code: 144273
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DARWIN, Bernard & Elinor. The Tale of Mr. Tootleoo.London : [1925]
First edition, first printing. The first Mr. Tootleoo book. Bernard Darwin (18761961) was the grandson of the naturalist Charles Darwin. He and his wife collaborated on their children's books, with Bernard providing the text, and Elinor the illustrations. Learn More£400.00Stock Code: 144279
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![The Jungle Book; [together with:] The Second Jungle Book.](https://d3dzzbbvj9im7s.cloudfront.net/media/catalog/product/cache/ae0834d12b7cf129fc73bcc000ea526a/1/3/136560.jpg)
KIPLING, Rudyard. The Jungle Book; [together with:] The Second Jungle Book.London : 1894 & 1895
First editions in book form of Kipling's best-known prose work. An immediate success on publication, The Jungle Book was reprinted twice in 1894 and twice again the following year. "Kipling followed with The Second Jungle Book (1895), but the two sets of stories have rarely been united, despite the fact that the later book completed the Mowgli saga... Learn More£3,500.00Stock Code: 136560
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DARWIN, Bernard & Elinor. The Tale of Mr. Tootleoo.London : [1925]
First edition, first printing. The first Mr. Tootleoo book. Bernard Darwin (18761961) was the grandson of the naturalist Charles Darwin. He and his wife collaborated on their children's books, with Bernard providing the text, and Elinor the illustrations. With a handwritten note on the publisher's stationery loosely inserted, apparently unconnected... Learn More£400.00Stock Code: 130309
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DAHL, Roald. Even More Revolting Recipes.London : 2001
First edition, first impression, signed by Quentin Blake on the title page. Learn More£200.00Stock Code: 144102
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DARWIN, Bernard & Elinor. Tootleoo Two.London : 1927
First edition, first impression, of the second Mr. Tootleoo book. Bernard Darwin (18761961) was the grandson of the naturalist Charles Darwin. He and his wife collaborated on their children's books, with Bernard providing the text, and Elinor the illustrations. Learn More£250.00Stock Code: 130307
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DARWIN, Bernard & Elinor. Mister Tootleoo One & Two.London : 1932
First edition, first impression, of the first joint appearance of the first two Tootleoo books. The author, the grandson of the naturalist Charles Darwin, collaborated with his wife on children's books, with Bernard providing the text and Elinor the illustrations. Learn More£300.00Stock Code: 130310
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DISNEY, Walt. Director's Manual:California : 1936
A collection of 13 mimeographed manuscripts giving a fascinating insight into Disney's internal training program for the animators.
The collection comprises: two lectures by Don Graham discussing general animation theory and practice; a bulletin discussing "How to Catch, Build and Maintain the Interest of the Spectator in the Picture"; character... Learn More£3,850.00Stock Code: 118414
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ROWLING, J. K. "What was the Name of that Nymph Again?"Exeter : 1998
An notably early article by Rowling recounting her experiences reading Greek and Roman Studies at the University of Exeter, printed in the journal of the Department of Classics and Ancient History. In the article she comments that she had "the unforgettable experience of being lectured by a person best known simply as Z. It was Z I had in mind when... Learn More£1,250.00Stock Code: 140422
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DISNEY, Walt. Tigger from Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore.Burbank : 1983
An original celluloid painting used in the Walt Disney production of Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore. With the printed Walt Disney Certified stamp lower left. This was a short film based on two chapters from the books Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner originally released in March 1983. Learn More£1,500.00Stock Code: 141127
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![[The Pooh books:]](https://d3dzzbbvj9im7s.cloudfront.net/media/catalog/product/cache/ae0834d12b7cf129fc73bcc000ea526a/1/3/133547_3.jpg)
MILNE, A. A. [The Pooh books:]London : 1924-8
First editions, first impressions. When We Were Young is a first first state, with the contents page ix unnumbered and also has a presentation stamp to the title page. The little bear described by Christopher Milne in his autobiography as his "inseparable companion" has also become the inseparable companion of generations of children, often remaining... Learn More£9,750.00Stock Code: 133547
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RACKHAM, Arthur (illus.); SHAKESPEARE, William. The Tempest.London : 1926
First Rackham edition. With a signed presentation inscription from the author and his wife to the half-title "To May from Edyth and Arthur Rackham Christmas 1926" alongside an original ink drawing of Ariel by the artist. Learn More£3,750.00Stock Code: 130882
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LOFTING, Hugh. The Story of Doctor Dolittle.New York : 1920
First edition, first printing, of the first title in the Doctor Dolittle series. Though born in England, Lofting settled in Connecticut and had his first book published in New York. The book is attractively illustrated with his own naïve pen-and-ink drawings. Learn More£1,500.00Stock Code: 127454
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ROBINSON, Charles (illus.); WILDE, Oscar. The Happy Prince.London : 1913
First Robinson edition of Wilde's first and best-known collection of children's stories. Wilde's "reputation as an author dated from the publication of the Happy Prince and Other Tales in London in May 1888. The Athenaeum compared him to Hans Christian Andersen, and Pater wrote to say that 'The Selfish Giant' was 'perfect in its kind,' and the whole... Learn More£2,500.00Stock Code: 124695
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RACKHAM, Arthur (illus.); GRIMM Brothers. Grimm's Fairy Tales.New York : 1909
Large paper copy, signed by the artist to the verso of the half-title. Learn More£3,750.00Stock Code: 124151
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DIXON, Franklin W. The Tower Treasure.New York : 1927
First edition, first printing of the first Hardy Boys title, long considered one of the holy grails of American children's book collecting. Developed by the American publisher Edward Stratemeyer, The Hardy Boys books were one part of a range of juvenile detective fiction released by the Stratemeyer Syndicate. Learn More£2,500.00Stock Code: 118415
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NIELSEN, Kay (illus.) East of the Sun West of the Moon. Old Tales from the North.London : [1914]
Signed limited edition, number 83 of 500 copies signed by the artist. Learn More£9,750.00Stock Code: 114031
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RACKHAM, Arthur (illus.); IRVING, Washington. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.Philadelphia : 1928.
Limited edition, one of 125 copies issued for the US, this copy out of series (there were also 250 issued for the UK). Learn More£2,950.00Stock Code: 77874
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KINGSLEY, Charles; Warwick Goble (illus.) The Water Babies.London : 1909
First Goble Edition. "Goble moved into the big time in 1909 when he became the resident gift book illustrator for the large publishing firm of Macmillan. The first of his classic de luxe volume in the Macmillan series was The Water Babies, by Charles Kingsley. Containing 32 fine mounted colour plates by Goble, this ranks as one of the most beautiful... Learn More£1,750.00Stock Code: 38875
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SENDAK, Maurice. Where the Wild Things Are.New York : 1963
First edition, first printing. Where the Wild Things Are was criticized at the time of publication for its darker elements, but was soon acclaimed as a triumph of children's storytelling and book design; it has remained a classic of 20th-century children's literature, and was adapted into a film in 2009. Learn More£2,750.00Stock Code: 133114
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DAHL, Roald. The BFG.London : 1982
First edition, first impression. A wonderful example of the Chelsea Bindery's work. Dahl's fantastical tale was expanded from a short story within his 1975 book Danny, the Champion of the World. A film adaptation, directed by Steven Spielberg, was released in 2016. Learn More£3,250.00Stock Code: 132372
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DISNEY, Walt. The Night Before Christmas.London : 1934
First UK edition, first impression. A scarce publication released along side the animated Disney Silly Symphony of same title. Also published in the US the same year. Learn More£750.00Stock Code: 143668
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KNIGHT, Hilary (illus.); SCHAFFNER, Val. Algonquin Cat.New York : 1980
First edition, first printing. Children's story about Hamlet, the cat, that took up residence in the Algonquin Hotel in New York. Learn More£50.00Stock Code: 143626
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DISNEY, Walt. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Paper Dolls.Racine : 1938
First edition, first printing. Authorized edition stated to front cover. Rare to find in complete condition. Learn More£350.00Stock Code: 143380
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LANG, Andrew (ed.) The Orange Fairy Book.London : 1906
First edition, first impression, of the tenth of Andrew Lang's Fairy Books, gathering folk stories from Africa to Jutland, here a particularly fine copy preserving - most unusually - the original dust jacket, without restoration.
"The series became a landmark in the presentation of traditional tales, for it introduced children to selections of... Learn More£2,500.00Stock Code: 143082
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INGOLDSBY, Thomas, pseud. of Richard Harris Barham. The Ingoldsby Legends or Mirth and Marvels.London : 1864
An elegantly bound edition of the Ingoldsby Legends, which were first serialised in Bentley's Miscellany from 1837, and first published in book form 1840-47. The plates by Leech, Tenniel, and Cruikshank are wonderfully spirited and inventive.
Under the guise of Thomas Ingoldsby of Tappington Everard in Kent, Barham "discovered" old documents... Learn More£1,250.00Stock Code: 143170
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WAIN, Louis; FLOYD, Grace C. (adapt.) Fairy Tales.New York : [c.1900]
First edition, first printing. A scarce title, especially so in such good condition. Learn More£625.00Stock Code: 143347
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PULLMAN, Philip. His Dark Materials.London : 1995-1997-2000
First editions, first impressions, in first issue jackets, of the complete Dark Materials trilogy, in particularly nice condition. Pullman's epic trilogy of fantasy novels is recognized as one of the best children's novels of the 20th century.
The Amber Spyglass won the 2001 Whitbread Book of the Year award, being the first children's book to... Learn More£2,500.00Stock Code: 143232
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RACKHAM, Arthur (illus.); BARRIE, J. M. Peter Pan of Kensington Gardens.London : 1906
Signed limited edition, number 336 of 500 copies signed by the illustrator; this additionally a presentation copy to Barrie's close friend and future literary agent, Golding Bright, inscribed by J. M. Barrie on the half-title, "Golding Bright, with a friend's greeting J. M. Barrie".
Golding Bright and his elder brother Addison Bright both worked... Learn More£15,000.00Stock Code: 143331
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DAHL, Roald; JAQUES, Faith (illus.) Original artwork for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.London : [c.1973]
Original cover artwork, signed by the artist on the verso, for the first paperback edition of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, annotated with printing details to the margins and depicting Willy Wonka, Charlie and the other Golden Ticket-winners gathered around the Everlasting Gobstopper Machine. Original artwork for Roald Dahl's books is rare, and... Learn More£8,500.00Stock Code: 142906
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POTTER, Beatrix. The Tale of Peter Rabbit.London and New York : [1907]
First deluxe issue with the new illustrations. In the autumn of 1907 a new set of blocks were made, two of the illustrations on pages 68 & 81 were redrawn; the characters are enlarged with less of the background showing. These blocks were used for six or seven years, after which the old ones were again used. Learn More£2,500.00Stock Code: 121247
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ADAMS, Richard. Watership Down.Harmondsworth : 1976
First illustrated edition, signed limited issue, number 244 of 250 specially bound copies signed by both the author and illustrator. This copy has an original watercolour depicting four rabbits, drawn and initialled by the illustrator, to the front free endpaper verso and first blank; it also has a contemporary fore-edge painting depicting two rabbits... Learn More£6,000.00Stock Code: 134691
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WHITE, Antonia. Minka and Curdy.London : 1957
First edition, first impression, of this charming little story about two cats. Learn More£75.00Stock Code: 142846
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GOREY, Edward (illus.); DEHN, Paul. Quake, Quake, Quake.London : 1961
First UK edition, first printing, advance copy with the publishers slip laid in, of this darkly humorous poetry collection. Learn More£85.00Stock Code: 142762
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LOFTING, Hugh. Doctor Dolittle's Garden.London : 1928
First UK edition, first impression. It was first published in the US the preceding year. Learn More£125.00Stock Code: 142756
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DAHL, Roald. Rhyme Stew.London : 1989
First edition, first printing. Inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper "Nick, Love, Roald Dahl". Rhyme Stew is a collection of quirky poetry adapted from traditional nursery tales. Learn More£2,500.00Stock Code: 142484
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RACKHAM, Arthur (illus.); BARRIE, J. M. Peter Pan In Kensington Gardens.London : 1906
First Rackham edition, inscribed by the author to the first actor to play Smee on stage on the half-title: "To George Shelton from his old friend J. M. Barrie Christmas 1906." Shelton played Smee in the first production of Peter Pan in December 1904, and played the part for 23 consecutive years until his retirement in 1927.
Peter Pan In Kensington... Learn More£5,750.00Stock Code: 137773
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CARROLL, Lewis. Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There.London : 1887
Third edition, presentation copy to the child actress who appeared in the first professional stage performance of "Alice". Inscribed on the front free endpaper: "Presented to Georgina Martin by Lewis Carroll as a memento of her having taken part in the DreamPlay 'Alice in Wonderland' written by H. Savile Clarke and first produced Christmas, 1886." Following... Learn More£25,000.00Stock Code: 108874
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TAN, Shaun. The Arrival.New York : 2007
First American edition, first printing, signed and stamped by Tan on publisher's bookplate on half-title, with a loosely inserted The Arrival postcard, and accompanied by a large poster. This moving graphic novel was featured in the New York Times children's books review of 11 November 2007, pp. 3233, among the best illustrated children's books of that... Learn More£350.00Stock Code: 142193
