Goodnight Moon

Description

Early printing of Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, in the publisher’s dust jacket.

Oblong octavo, [31pp]. Illustrated hardcover, green cloth spine. Publisher listed as Harper & Row, not Harper & Brothers, which places publication in the early 1960s. Bookplate removed from front free endpaper, no other markings. In the publisher’s early state dust jacket, price-clipped, “30-60” code on front flap, starting to separate along front edge of spine, previous fold diagonally across front panel, shelf wear, a very good example.

The true first printing of Goodnight Moon is a bit of a mystery. The first edition was published by Harper & Brothers in 1947, with no indication of a first printing in the text. The first issue dust jacket is believed to have a retail price of $1.75 and contain a blurb for “Little Fur Family” instead of “Little Chicken” on the rear panel, but no copy with the $1.75 retail price has been located. It is possible that the first issue dust jacket has a retail price of $2.00, but debate continues.