Books

1943. First Edition. Signed. DAHL, Roald. The Gremlins. A Royal Air Force Story by Flight Lieutenant Roald Dahl. New York: Random House, (1943). Slim quarto, original half red cloth, pictorial boards, pictorial endpapers, original dust jacket. Housed in custom pictorial clamshell box. $13,500.Presentation first edition of Dahl's rare first book, with 14 vibrant full-page illustrations by Walt Disney Productions, twice inscribed by him: on the half title, ""To Joe and Steve with love from Roald Dahl 10/5/47,"" and opposite the half title, ""One by one a cow came by/ Howling around for the moon/ They asked me where the hell it was/ I said it's gone you dopes—you're much too soon. R."" An exceptionally elusive and desirable Dahl first edition in any condition, particularly in the original dust jacket and inscribed by him.Dahl was sent to Washington in 1942 as an assistant air attaché for the British Embassy. After having a story published anonymously in the Saturday Evening…

The Gremlins is a children's book, written by Roald Dahl and published in 1943. It was Dahl's first children's book and was written for Walt Disney Productions, as a promotional device for a feature-length animated film that was never made. With Dahl's engaging storytelling and charming illustrations, the book introduces the concept of gremlins as mischievous creatures that cause malfunctions in British Royal Air Force aircraft.

One method to identify a first edition of 'The Gremlins' is to look for the publisher's name, Random House, and the publication date of 1943 on the copyright page. First editions may also contain specific design elements characteristic of the era and illustrations by Roald Dahl.