signed first edition
1971 · London
by Grahame, Kenneth; Shepard, Ernest H. (illustrator)
London: Methuen Children's Books, 1971. First thus. Fine/Near Fine. One of 250 copies signed by the illustrator, Ernest H. Shepard. Bound in publisher's full green morocco by Zaehnsdorf in the publisher's printed slipcase. Illustrated in color throughout by Shepard, with illustrated map endpapers and a title-page vignette. Some sunning to spine, but still a lovely, Fine copy, bright and fresh throughout. Slipcase Near Fine with some sunning to edges.
The Wind in the Willows, Grahame's famed children's novel, was first published in 1908 and introduces the beloved Mr. Toad, Rat, Badger, and Mole. Grahame began writing the book in 1908 – in his late 40s – after leaving his position as Secretary of the Bank of England. Much of the plot of The Wind in the Willows had its origins both in the bedtime stories Grahame had invented to tell his own son, and in Grahame’s childhood experiences in Berkshire county. The book might not have been published if not for the efforts of President Theodore Roosevelt, who lobbied Methuen to release it. While reviews were mixed, the book became a classic – and would be adapted by A.A. Milne into the well known play Toad of Toad Hall in1929. “The Wind in the Willows is a worthy companion to The Golden Age and Dream Days. It is whimsical, fascinating by its apparent seriousness and that sense of underlying poetry which Mr. Grahame somehow manages to convey through all his nonsense” (contemporary New York Times review).
Ernest H. Shepard (1879 – 1976) is best known for providing the iconic illustrations for Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh series (1924 – 1928). He also illustrated editions of Grahame's The Golden Age and Dream Days (both 1948). Fine in Near Fine dust jacket. (Inventory #: 7290)
The Wind in the Willows, Grahame's famed children's novel, was first published in 1908 and introduces the beloved Mr. Toad, Rat, Badger, and Mole. Grahame began writing the book in 1908 – in his late 40s – after leaving his position as Secretary of the Bank of England. Much of the plot of The Wind in the Willows had its origins both in the bedtime stories Grahame had invented to tell his own son, and in Grahame’s childhood experiences in Berkshire county. The book might not have been published if not for the efforts of President Theodore Roosevelt, who lobbied Methuen to release it. While reviews were mixed, the book became a classic – and would be adapted by A.A. Milne into the well known play Toad of Toad Hall in1929. “The Wind in the Willows is a worthy companion to The Golden Age and Dream Days. It is whimsical, fascinating by its apparent seriousness and that sense of underlying poetry which Mr. Grahame somehow manages to convey through all his nonsense” (contemporary New York Times review).
Ernest H. Shepard (1879 – 1976) is best known for providing the iconic illustrations for Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh series (1924 – 1928). He also illustrated editions of Grahame's The Golden Age and Dream Days (both 1948). Fine in Near Fine dust jacket. (Inventory #: 7290)
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