The Fairy Caravan.

by POTTER, Beatrix, as Beatrix Heelis.

$16,505 · Offered by Biblio

First edition · Signed

Philadelphia: David McKay Co.,, 1929. The limited signed American edition Signed limited edition, signed by the author, number 48 of 100 copies not for sale, published to reserve copyright, issued simultaneously with the first trade edition. Beatrix Potter considered this story of a miniature animal-run travelling circus as "too personal [and] autobiographical" for her to feel comfortable allowing publication in England. She arranged for the Philadelphia publishing house of David McKay to produce a nicely proportioned and illustrated edition. However, due to reciprocal arrangements between the US and Great Britain, publication in one nation implied a consequent relinquishment of rights in the other. Potter therefore took 100 sets of sheets from the US edition and had the local printer run off 100 copies of an altered first gathering (8 pages), together with a further leaf, substituted these new prelims, and had the hybrid plainly bound. Potter took the opportunity to replace the original printed dedication "To Henry" with several illustrations of her pet dogs. The first UK trade edition did not appear until 1952, nine years after her death. Large octavo. 6 colour and numerous monochrome illustrations in the text by the author. Original green boards, spine lettered in gilt, front cover with pictorial label. With dust jacket. Housed in a custom red quarter morocco folding box. Lightly bumped to lower end of spine, light occasional spotting to pages, in the dust jacket with ligh

• Year: 1929
• Edition: First Edition
• Binding: hardcover

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