A rare signed edition of L. Frank Baum's landmark children's book which paved the way for The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum - November 1899

Chicago, November 1899. 4to.. "His signature, ""Very Sincerely L. Frank Baum,"" and dated in his hand, ""Chicago Nov 1899,"" on the front blank endpaper of his groundbreaking book, Father Goose, His Book (Chicago: Geo. M. Hill Co. Publishers, 1899) unpaginated, quarto, bound in titled, illustrated boards. First edition, second printing (October 1899). With illustrations by W. W. Denslow. Boards rubbed, spine repaired with cloth backing, light soiling to interior pages. Offered together with L. Frank Baum, Father Goose, His Book (Chicago: Geo. M. Hill Co., 1899) unpaginated, quarto, bound in titled and illustrated boards. First edition, first printing. With illustrations by W. W. Denslow. Boards rubbed and cracked at edges, spine reinforced, some folds to several pages with some marginal tears.
When Baum and Denslow conceived this modern American Mother Goose, no firm was interested in issuing it. The pair decided to publish it themselves and took it to a big jobber, George M. Hill. Hill was so impressed with the mock-up that he offered to publish the book if Baum and Denslow paid all of the printing costs. To save on typesetting, they hired the artist Ralph Fletcher Seymour to hand-letter the text and they gave him an acknowledgement on the final page. Father Goose, His Book proved to be the best selling children's book of the year and went through five printings before Christmas. Its unexpected success inspired Baum and Denslow to follow it up with The Wizard of Oz."