LINDSAY, Norman.

£1,500 · Offered by Peter Harrington · No longer available

The Magic Pudding. First edition, first printing, of this classic of Australian children's literature, with crisp examples of Lindsay's vibrant illustrations. Norman Lindsay (1879-1969) is among Australia's most popular and prolific artists, and he worked for many years as the chief cartoonist for the Sydney-based Bulletin.Famously, the Magic Pudding resulted from an argument over what children liked to read - Lindsay's friend Bertram Stevens thought that they liked fairies, while Lindsay himself held that what they really wanted was food. Set in the bush, the story follows a sailor, a penguin, and a koala, as they contend with an anthropomorphic, self-regenerating pudding, whose only desire is to be eaten.This copy is from the first issue, distinguished by the printed "A&R" light green endpapers: the second issue has plain white endpapers.

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