Beschreibung:

POTTER [=HILLIS], BEATRIX [ The Fairy Caravan . [Ambleside: Published by the author], 1929. First English edition, published for copyright purposes, one of 100 copies, numbered 35 ("No 35") in Potter's hand on the paste-down, inscribed by her "For Louie Choyce/with love from 'Beatrix Potter'/Sawney Feb 24th 38." Original gray green boards, the upper cover imprinted with the title, dark green cloth spine, all edges untrimmed. 9 x 6 3/4 inches (22.5 x 17 cm); 225 pp., the first 9 ff. a cancel on different paper, printed at Ambleside; the balance of the work as printed by David McKay, Philadelphia, the same year; with six color plates, and illustrations in text. Spine worn, with a split to the center of the rear joint, boards soiled, upper right corner bumped (slightly affecting the text), a little minor finger soil, in all internally clean. This copy inscribed to Louie Choyce [Potter's "Choicey"] who first went to Hill Top Farm in 1916, to help Potter on the farm (in answer to a plea Potter had made in a letter to The Times about the shortage of farm labor during the war. Choyce aided Potter until the end of the War, and the two women remained lifetime friends (and indeed Choyce and her brother helped again at the farm during the Second World War). In time, Choyce gave the book (according to a hand-written sheet laid in) to the daughter of Lady Huntington as a christening present ("I know Beatrix Potter would have liked her to have it)." The first American editions (trade and limited) were published by David McKay of Philadelphia in 1929, and Potter initially had no plans to issue an equivalent English edition. However, in order to retain English copyright, she was required to publish a corresponding English edition in some form. Potter had McKay ship her a hundred sets of the US sheets, and then apparently had a local printer prepare a new preliminary signature (plus half-title, the ninth leaf noted). Instead of the dedication leaf, there was now a drawing of Potter's dogs, not found in the U.S. edition. The whole was bound in a rather undistinguished fashion. The first published UK edition (this edition was never formally issued, most being given as gifts by Potter), did not appear until 1952. The last inscribed copy of the London issue that we trace at auction is that given to Madelein Douglas Davidson, Potter's governess, sold 1999. Quinby 29. C