THE VELVETEEN RABBIT

First edition, first printing, American issue. Publisher's original pictorial paper-covered boards in dustwrapper. Illustrated with four full page and three double page richly coloured lithographs by William Nicholson. A superb, very near fine copy, the binding square and firm, without paper loss and with a little bumping at the lower edge. The contents are spotlessly clean throughout and without previous owner's inscriptions or stamps. Complete with the near fine, very lightly rubbed and dusty dustwrapper that has a couple of tiny nicks at the folds without loss. Both the book and the dustwrapper are entirely without repair or restoration. Housed in a bespoke quarter morocco solander case.

This copy is the earliest state of the American issue, the printed paper covered boards a slightly different shade and a few millimetres taller than the UK issue. Correctly dated 1922 and with the addition of George H. Doran to the title page, "Printed in Great Britain" to the reverse. Identical dustwrappers (printed in three colours with William Heinemann logo at the base of the spine) were used in both the UK and US issues, as here. A beautiful example of a children's classic that has been reprinted many times, but never to the quality of this first edition.