IN ORIGINAL DUSTWRAPPER
The Wind in the Willows
Methuen, 1908.
First edition. Original blue-green cloth with gilt vignettes and titles to the spine and upper cover, in original brown dustwrapper printed in blue. Top edge gilt. Striking black and white frontispiece by Graham Robertson. A fine copy in a fine dustwrapper, pages uncut and virtually as new, with just one virtually invisible closed tear to the front joint of the dustwrapper. With a four page autograph letter from Grahame, dated 22 July 1908, about the time of the publication of Wind in the Willows, "...I have given up the City altogether... & have also, temporarily at least, quitted London, & the above [Mayfield, Cookham Dene] is for the time my only address." Housed in a chemise and quarter morocco slipcase.
The magnificent Greenhill - Bradley Martin copy, arguably the finest existing copy of this children's classic. Of exceptional rarity in the original 6/- dustwrapper.
The Wind in the Willows began life as a series of bedtime stories told to his son Alastair. Upon retiring his position as secretary of the Bank of England, Grahame had returned to Cookham where he had grown up and set about composing the stories into a full length novel. The book was rejected by several publishers, in one case with the memorable response, "An irresponsible holiday story that will never sell."
On publication, the book was was well received without being a runaway success, but demand was sufficient to spawn a series of editions illustrated by different artists. In 1929 A.A.Milne wrote a play, Toad of Toad Hall, based on the most memorable parts of the book, which opened the text up to a new audience and elevated the standing of the book to its current status as one of most affectionately and highly regarded children's books of all time.
Osborne p. 349
Stock ID: 40327
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