Books

31pp. The title page cites "David McKay Company, Inc./ New York" as Publisher. The Copyright page cites "ILLUSTRATED BY / Rafaello Busoni" [1900-1962] above: "COPYRIGHT, 1943, 1944 BY PHILIP VAN DOREN STERN". Some proud sellers may not know the difference between 'recto' and 'verso', nor may they know that there is no "verso" to a "Frontispiece", which is always on the left, in my book's case the verso of the half-title page, probably exceptionlessly facing the title page of a book, which is always on the right. The verso of the title page is the copyright page, the contents of which for this copy has been cited above. Where on the alleged "verso of the frontispiece" a book dealer might find a 1950 printing indication, I have no idea. The only issue with the provenance of copies of this book, as I see it, is whether a copy being printed in either Philadelphia or New York can be considered the "First Edition, First Issue," after the "true first" which was privately published in 1943. If copies were simultaneously published in Philadelphia and New York, the McKay Company having at some point moved from the former to the latter City, but printed identical copies in each City and gave them identical dustwrappers, then they both might be considered First, Firsts. On the other hand, if the printing in New York came AFTER the printing in Philadelphia, which seems possible, if not likely, then, in the worst-case scenario, my copy here might be considered, with its "1943, 1944" copyright date on the title page verso and NO 'Holiday Greetings/December/1950' on the verso of any page or on the recto of any page, a "First Edition, Second Issue". But it all depends on more intimate knowledge of printing locations and printing dates undertaken by the "David McKay Company, Inc." than I can claim knowledge of. So, in sum, this copy would seem to be either a First, First Issue or a First, Second Issue, depending. Moreover, if a bookseller thinks that "Stern privately published the short story in 1945, and it was copyrighted in 1945," then this would surely be amiss, especially since that bookseller and another one who thinks each has a First, First, cites '1944' as the date of publication of their First, First (non-"true first"). Blue boards with Holiday illustrations and title box with white decorative borders at above-middle left front cover for title and author name lettering in white over blue; blue endpapers slightly more intense than blue of covers; rear cover with illustrations of man in winter coat and hat, trudging toward tall-spire church at left middle rear cover, with guiding "Star" to right of spire; Santa and his reindeer fly across moon at upper right. Lower front corner rubbed, exposing 1/8" of gray board beneath blue lamination; tiny tips of wear at other three corners; foot of spine slightly bumped (curled under) with gray bits exposed at corners (NOT wholesale gray across foot of spine); tiny bits of wear (1/32") at top spine corners: these are all rather minor imperfections. Blue dustwrapper not price-clipped ($1.00) with same illustrations on front and rear covers as book covers; dw white in illustrations, lettering, and panels is lightly toned, with all blue slightly, uniformly darker than the blue of the boards (spine very slightly, uniformly darkest); chips at locations of imperfections of boards already described, in addition to a few other missing bits and a 7/16" x 3/8" x 1/2" triangular piece missing at 1 3/8" to 1 13/16" to right of rear cover top left corner (consider this "light wear?): dustwrapper has long been in mylar which pardons the pecadilloes graciously. No previous owner names. Clean text.