Books

First edition, first printing. Illustrated by Garth Williams. Original publisher's light tan cloth, lettered in blue and black, pictorial blue endpapers with a cobweb illustration in white; in the original pictorial dust jacket, with Garth's illustration of Fern holding Wilbur and looking at Charlotte to the front panel, lettered in black, blue, red and green. Fine book, with just a touch of rubbing to bottom corners; near fine unclipped dust jacket, with light toning to spine and upper margin of front panel, some very light surface marks to spine and front panel, a touch of soiling to panels, and two tiny chips to front flap fold. Overall, an exemplary copy of E. B. White's classic book. Charlotte's Web tells the story of a pig named Wilbur and how the farmer's daughter Fern and his spider friend Charlotte endeavor to save Wilbur from slaughter. Just as White's Stuart Little, the story of a mouse in a big city, appealed to urban American children, Charlotte's Web was geared towards rural children who grew up living on a farm. The text is illustrated with forty-seven black and white drawings by Garth Williams, who also illustrated Stuart Little. In both, the artist's cross-hatching illustrations portrayed a jovial subject matter beloved by children with a level of detail that simultaneously garnered adult admirers. White drew his inspiration for Charlotte's Web from his own experience tending to a sick pig, which he outlined in a 1947 essay for The Atlantic Monthly.

"Charlotte's Web" is the story of a young pig named Wilbur who is saved from the fate of being slaughtered by the clever weaving of a spider named Charlotte. Written by E.B. White and published in 1952 by Harper & Brothers, it's a compelling children's novel that showcases the values of friendship and compassion. Over the years, it has become one of the most acclaimed children's books of all time, frequently taught in schools and cherished by readers of all ages.