The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum - 1900

STEPTOE, John. Daddy Is a Monster… Sometimes. NY: J.B. Lippincott [1980]. Square 8vo, [32]pp. Red boards with spine stamped in gold. Color pictorial endpapers; color illustrations on every spread. Slight ½ inch tear at upper left edge of front board (looks like a small white line), ever so slightly cocked, ½ inch mended tear at base of front free endpaper, else a clean, bright copy in original color pictorial dust jacket (small chip at bottom of front panel, trade price clipped and library price present).
First edition, library issue. Told from the perspective of his two children, Bweela and Javaka (the future Caldecott Medalist), this poignant story deals with the ways in which anger and love interact in their young family's lives. The two-time Caldecott Honor Artist's seventh book details his children's perspective on their familial interactions, while his stunning art shows that sometimes parents think their children are monsters too… sometimes.

[POGÁNY, Willy]. The Tale of Lohengrin. Knight of the Swan. After the Drama of Richard Wagner. By T[homas] W[illiam] Rolleston. Presented by Willy Pogány. London: G.G. Harrap [1913]. 4to, [192]pp. Brown cloth pictorially stamped in gilt and blind. Color pictorial endpapers; 8 color plates plus color and b&w illustrations on every page. Spine ends a tad rubbed, else a remarkably fine copy housed in publisher's pictorial cardboard slipcase (worn and a bit soiled, but in tact).
First edition. A magnificently bound and illustrated masterpiece that showcases Pogány's versatility, craftsmanship, and brilliance at design. This extensively illustrated edition shows one of the masters of the early 20th century at the height of his talents. Printed on heavy stock and featuring examples of several styles, many consider this to be among Pogány's finest works.

GASPARD, Helen. Doctor Dan, The Bandage Man. Pictures by Corinne Malvern. NY: Simon & Schuster [1950]. 8vo, [28]pp. Color pictorial boards with a patterned gold foil spine; all edges red. Pictorial endpapers; color illustrations on every page. Edges minutely rubbed else a surprisingly fine copy with all 6 of the original Johnson & Johnson Band-Aid "junior size" bandages still in original packaging and affixed to title.
First edition. This classic, early Golden Book was wildly successful when it was first published in 1950, even inspiring a spin-off titled Nurse Nancy two-years later. First edition copies that still retain all of the promotional Johnson & Johnson band-aids are very rare.

SELDEN, George.
The Cricket in Times Square. Illustrated by Garth Williams. NY: Farrar, Straus and Cudahey [1960]. 8vo, [iv] 151pp. Light brown boards with spine stamped in dark brown. 24 full-page b&w illustrations. Corners ever-so-slightly bumped, spine ends a tad rubbed, some hand-soiling to margins of interior pages, else a tight, bright copy in original color pictorial dust jacket (no medal affixed, price-clipped, light edge wear, rear panel slightly soiled). With a bookplate signed by the artist, Garth Williams, laid in.
First edition. 1961 Newbery Honor Book! A near fine copy of this beloved book featuring 24 full-page illustrations by Garth Williams, the artist already famed for illustrating Stuart Little, Charlotte's Web and the Little House books. When Chester a Connecticut cricket gets stuck in a picnic basket he finally frees himself only to discover he's now in the Times Square subway station. Discovered by Mario, the young boy whose family runs the newspaper stand, Chester is also… Read More

FLANDERS, Helen Hartness. Looking out of Jimmie. Drawings by Willy Pogany. NY: E.P. Dutton [1927]. 12mo, x 93pp. Light brown boards pictorially stamped in gold. Pictorial endpapers in green ink; b&w pictorial title, 10 full-page and numerous smaller hnillustrations throughout. Spine ends a tad rubbed, small tear to internal rear hinge, else a clean, tight copy in original color pictorial dust jacket (1½" closed tear at bottom of front panel and at top of rear panel, light edgewear, slight soiling to rear, price-clipped). Inscribed by the author, Helen Hartness Flanders.
First edition of an unusual Pogany-illustrated title. A collection of charming poems depicting life through the eyes of a young boy named Jimmie, by internationally recognized ballad collector and authority on folk music, Helen Hartness Flanders. Issued by the American publisher of A.A. Milne's When We Were Very Young and Now We Are Six, this was evidently an attempt to capitalize on the popularity of those two volumes of poetry for… Read More

SENDAK, Maurice. King Grisly-Beard. A Tale from the Brothers Grimm. Translated by Edgar Taylor. Pictures by Maurice Sendak. NY: Farrar, Straus & Giroux [1973]. 8vo, 24pp. Brown cloth stamped in silver on spine. Gray endpapers; full-color illustrations on nearly every page. A fine copy in original color pictorial jacket.
First edition. Maurice Sendak's bright and vibrant illustrations perfectly capture the brother Grimm's tale in this stunning edition. Sendak's creative genius is further on display in the framing narrative he creates for the book which tells of two small children who are recruited to act in a play of the story and who end up performing the main roles in the King Grisly-Beard tale.

GAIMAN, Neil. The Wolves in the Walls. Illustrated by David McKean. [NY]: HarperCollins [2003]. Square 8vo, [56]pp. Color pictorial boards. Black endpapers; color illustrations on every page. A fine copy in original color pictorial dust jacket. Signed by the author, Newbery Medalist Neil Gaiman.
First edition. A delightfully scary, strange and hilarious romp from Neil Gaiman, captured powerfully in David McKean's haunting illustrations. Delicious fun!

GIBSON, Eva Katharine. Zauberlinda The Wise Witch. Chicago: Robert Smith Printing Co [1901]. 8vo, 258pp. Blue cloth pictorially stamped in yellow and orange. Pictorial endpapers with fixed sheets printed with an orange background; illustrations in one-color on every page with text in black. Light rubbing to spine ends and lower corners, covers slightly so, spine lightly sunned, a few pages slightly soiled in margins, else an unusually clean, tight copy.
First edition. A very early Oz imitation, being released just a year after the publication of Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (which had been the best-selling children's book of 1900). The book features a style imitating the format of the first Oz novel, with line drawings printed in a variety of colors appearing over and around the text of the novel, just as in The Wizard. Gibson's tale is also very reminiscent of Baum's, telling of an isolated little girl on the prairie who is transported into a realm of magic and danger, only to have to find her… Read More

POLITI, Leo. The Poinsettia. [Palm Desert, CA]: Best-West Publications [1967]. 4to, [48]pp. Light blue cloth pictorially stamped in navy. Pictorial endpapers; color illustrations on nearly every page. Spine ends a tad rubbed, else a fine copy in original color pictorial dust jacket (slight edgewear). Lengthy inscription from the author/artist, Caldecott Medalist Leo Politi, with a large original watercolor of a vase of flowers.
First edition. A celebration of the many cultures that make up America and the way each celebrates its own traditions during the holiday season. The original watercolor by Politi is lush and detailed, even by his standards.

FLOCA, Brian. Locomotive. NY: Atheneum [2013]. 4to, [56]pp. Color pictorial boards. Color pictorial endpapers; color illustrations on every page. A fine copy in dust jacket (medal not affixed). Signed by the author/artist, Caldecott Medalist Brian Floca, with a small drawing of a locomotive and dated within days of winning the medal.First edition. 2014 Caldecott Medal Winner! It is the summer of 1869, and trains, crews, and family are traveling together, riding America's brand-new transcontinental railroad. Floca's stunning art brings these pages to life with the details of the trip and the sounds, speed, and strength of the mighty locomotives; the work that keeps them moving; and the thrill of travel from plains to mountain to ocean. Come hear the hiss of the steam, feel the heat of the engine, watch the landscape race by. Come ride the rails, come cross the young country!