MARY POPPINS by Travers, P. L.; Shepard, Mary - 1934

London: Gerald Howe Ltd, 1934. Very good in very good jacket.. First edition of this beloved tale of a very unusual nanny, adapted into an equally beloved Disney musical starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. MARY POPPINS was Travers's first work aimed at a younger audience: she had published extensively before creating the equally stern and magical nanny who would become a cultural icon. Travers famously objected to the Disney treatment her story received, particularly the animated elements and songs; "[s]he hated everything," composer Richard Sherman recalled (VARIETY). "Travers saw herself as a mythographer" notes Kathryn Hughes in THE GUARDIAN, "she didn't create specifically for children... [she] was more interested in excavating the archetypes that underpinned" popular stories. As with many children's books that have remained popular, MARY POPPINS (and especially its titular character) has an unusual capacity to bear ever morphing and flexible readings that help it feel fresh to each succeeding generation. It is quite scarce in the original dust jacket. 7.5'' x 4.75''. Original yellow cloth binding with black lettering and central portrait of Poppins. Original blue and yellow unclipped (5s net) dust jacket. Blue topstain. Black-and-white pictorial endpapers of the Banks family and other characters. Illustrated in black and white. 206 pages. Dust jacket with light edgewear, a few very small chips to spine ends and rear flap; spine slightly toned. Binding with dampstain to spine and and a bit faintly to boards, not affecting any leaves. Interior clean. Sound.