Children's Books from Raptis Rare Books

London: Doubleday, 2004. First British edition of the author's first book. Octavo, original half cloth, cartographic endpapers. Boldly signed by Christopher Paolini on the title page. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket design by John Jude Palencar. "Full praise to Eragon, and I want more! A winner... tip of the hat to young master Paolini" (Anne McCaffrey).

London: Longmans, Green and Company, 1913. Early printing of this classic work. Octavo, original green cloth, gilt titles and tooling to the spine and front panel, illustrated throughout. Boldly signed by Percy Fitzpatrick on the title page. In near fine condition with light shelfwear to the extremities. Illustrated by E. Caldwell. Jock of the Bushveld was first published in… Read more

New York: The Platt & Munk Co. Inc, 1940. First edition in book form of Garis' classic Uncle Wiggily tale which appeared originally in the Evening News. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated by Elmer Rache, frontispiece in color. Signed by the author on the front free endpaper, "With best wishes from the author Howard R. Garis and Uncle Wiggily." In… Read more

London: William Heinemann, 1913. First edition of Arthur Rackham's illustrated rendition of the classic nursery rhyme collection. Octavo, elaborately bound in full scarlet morocco by Birdsall for Charles Scribner's Sons with gilt titles and flor gilt decorations to the spine in two compartments within raised gilt bands, triple gilt ruling to the panels with gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles,… Read more

New York: Random House, 1996. Signed limited edition of this classic work, one of only 100 numbered examples. Octavo, original cloth, cartographic endpapers, illustrated by Jules Feiffer. Boldly signed by Norton Juster and Jules Feiffer. Fine in a fine slipcase. "This book has been described by Naomi Lewis as 'the best original modern book in the Carroll line'" (Carpenter… Read more

London: Methuen and Co, 1908. First edition of the beloved children's novel, which author A.A. Milne once referred to as a "household book," "one of the classic read-aloud books that should not be missed by any family" (Silvey). Octavo, original gilt-stamped pictorial green cloth, top edge gilt. In fine condition with a touch of shelfwear. Housed in a custom… Read more

London: Cassell & Company, 1883. First edition, first issue with all the following points: with 8 page publisher's list at end, the first state October ads numbered 5R-1083; "dead man's chest" not capitalized on pp. 2 and 7; broken type in "vain" and miscreant" last two lines of p. 40; "a" missing in line 6, p. 63; p. 83… Read more

New York: E. P. Dutton, 1965. Early printing of Morey's Dutton Junior Animal Book Award-winning book. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated by John Schoenherr. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "Best wishes to Alice Walt Morey 5-7-88." Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Gentle Ben tells the story of Mark Andersen, a young teenage… Read more

London: Bloomsbury, 2005. First edition of the sixth and penultimate novel in Rowling's Harry Potter series. Octavo, original illustrated boards. Boldly signed by J.K. Rowling on the title page. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Cover illustration by Jason Cockcroft. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince takes up the story of Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts School of… Read more

London: C. Baldwyn, 1823; James Robins, 1826. First edition, first issue in English of both volumes of Grimms' famous fairy tales, including Snow White, Cinderella, Rumpelstiltskin, Hansel and Gretel, and Sleeping Beauty. With the first state of the engraved title page of Volume I, without the umlaut in the word Marchen ("later issues of the first edition of Volume… Read more

Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1985. First edition of Van Allsburg's lushly illustrated, enchanting tale of childlike wonder and hope, winner of the 1986 Caldecott Medal. Oblong quarto, original cloth, illustrated throughout. Boldly signed and dated by the author on the title page, "Chris Van Allsburg 1989." Near fine in a fine dust jacket. The Polar Express "clearly established the… Read more

Middlesex: Penguin Books, 1971. Early printing of Briggs' collection of nursery rhymes. Oblong octavo, original illustrated wrappers. Signed and dated by the author on the title page, "Raymond Briggs 1981 April 21." In near fine condition. English illustrator Raymond Briggs is best known in Britain for his 'books without words', told entirely though full color illustrations. Fee Fi Fo… Read more

New York: Morrow Junior Books, 1990. First edition of the story of Maggie Schultz, an eight-year-old girl who refuses to learn cursive. Octavo, original boards. Illustrated by Kay Life. Signed by the author on the front free endpaper in the year of publication, "Enjoy! Beverly Cleary 1990." Fine in a fine dust jacket. One of America's most successful living… Read more

New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 2005. First edition of Aldrin's journey to the moon. Quarto, original illustrated boards, illustrated throughout. Boldly signed by both Buzz Aldrin and Wendell Minor on the title page. Fine in a fine dust jacket. This picture book is Buzz Aldrin's story, in his words. Wendell Minor's gorgeous paintings evoke the wonder of space exploration… Read more

San Francisco: Determined Publications, 1962. First edition of Charlie Brown and the gang's words on happiness, with 30 Peanuts cartoons by Schulz. Small octavo, original boards. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper to actress Phyllis Diller and close friend of the author's, "For Phyllis with admiration and every best wish- Charles M. Schulz 'Happiness… Read more

New York: Harper Collins, 1995. First edition of Gregory Maguire's immensely popular reinvention of Oz. Octavo, original illustrated boards, cartographic endpapers. Signed by the author on the half-title page, who added the last line of this novel as follows, "And there the wicked old witch stayed for a good long time." "And did she ever come out?" "Not yet."… Read more

New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1970. First edition, early printing of Dahl's classic children's work in the tradition of The Adventures of Peter Rabbit, this is a "garden tale" of farmer versus vermin, or vice versa. Octavo, original beige cloth. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "Ryan Love Roald Dahl." Illustrated by Donald Chaffin.… Read more

New York: Charles L. Webster and Company, 1885. First edition of Mark Twain's masterpiece. Octavo, original publisher's decorated green cloth, with 174 illustrations by Edward W. Kemble. Contains all of the agreed upon first issue points for the clothbound book: page 9 with "Decided" remaining uncorrected (to "Decides"); page 13, illustration captioned "Him and another Man" listed as on… Read more

London: Corgi Yearling Books, 1998. First Corgi Yearling edition of Pullman's fantastic adventure story. Octavo, original illustrated wrappers. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the title page, "Best wishes Eileen - Philip Pullman." In fine condition. Cover illustration by Peter Bailey. Inside Illustrations by David Mostyn. "High melodrama, driven by anarchic breathless plots... kids will love them" (The… Read more

London: Walker Books, 2004. First edition of this retelling of the classic story. Quarto, original illustrated boards, illustrated throughout. Fine in a fine dust jacket. The story has been told "many times by many different people in many different languages," notes Michael Rosen. Now the acclaimed author of SHAKESPEARE: HIS WORK AND HIS WORLD presents the Bard's best-loved play… Read more