Little Bear
By
Else Holmelund Minarik



Small quarto; in the publisher's glossy boards, some very very light foxing or possibly soiling, to the endpapers, pages generally very bright and clean, fore-edge showing some light blotching that does not extend to page block, illustrated throughout by Maurice Sendak, in the original price clipped dust-jacket now protected in mylar, some minor chipping to head and foot of spine but otherwise Very Good, Harper and Row, New York, around 1962.

Little Bear. How could you not love him? And here is a lovely early edition, acquired at a Westport Estate sale. The book still possesses its original dust jacket, which is ultimately the key to dating it.... as you can see from the photograph above, the inside of the jacket shows a list of other titles in the series, and four Little Bear Books are noted, dating this printing to after Little Bear's Visit (1961) and prior to Little Bear's Kiss (1968). Other children's books were acquired at the same sale dating from the early sixties, so I would imagine this was probably published around 1962 or 1963.

Contains four stories:

What Will Little Bear Wear?

Birthday Soup?

Little Bear goes to the Moon.

Little Bear's Wish.

Condition: Pre-loved but also lovingly cared for. Very Good vintage condition.