Description
The first edition, first printing of The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown, in the publisher’s scarce first state dust jacket.
Octavo, [ii], [38pp]. Light green cloth, title stamped in red on cover. Stated “first edition,” with “M-Q” date code below. Illustrated endpapers. Two unopened leaves within the text block. A fine example, free of notable wear. Housed in custom blue cloth clamshell, title in gilt over red morocco label on cover.
In the publisher’s first state dust jacket, $1.50 on front flap, advertisements for “The Runaway Bunny” on front flap, and “When the Wind Blew” on rear flap. Short closed tear to top edge of rear panel, small loss along top quarter of the spine, bright illustrations, a near fine example.
The final manuscript for The Runaway Bunny was submitted to Ursula Nordstrom at Harper & Brothers in October of 1941. For the work, Margaret Wise Brown received an advance of $400. The manuscript was passed to Clement Hurd, the illustrator of Runaway Bunny and Goodnight Moon, who was unsatisfied with his final contribution to the book. He asked Harper & Brothers in 1966 for permission to re-illustrate the work, and a new edition was issued in 1972. This work was hand-set in Weiss Bold by Edna Rushmore, at the Golden Hind Press in Madison, New Jersey. (Dear Genius: Letters of Ursula Norstrom, 1998).
