Three Collectible First Edition Children's Books: Eloise and Babar

To include:

Kay Thompson; Hilary Knight, illus. ELOISE IN PARIS. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1957. Stated first printing. Signed by the illustrator on the title page and dated "November 1995." Hardcover. Red paper-covered illustrated boards lettered in silver, with illustrated endpapers and in illustrated unclipped ($3.50) jacket. 4to. (Dust jacket with toning, scuffing, light grime, expected minor offsetting from boards, and mostly mild wear at edges and folds with largest tear at spine and a 1-in. tear to front cover; boards with light soiling and mild wear to extremities; previous owner's name on front free end paper, occasional rare and subtle spot of grime to pages. A very good plus copy in a good plus jacket.)

Jean de Brunhoff. BABAR ET LE PÉRE NOËL. New York: Random House, [1941]. First French language edition published in the U.S. Yellow cloth-backed illustrated paper-covered boards; in scarce unclipped ($3.00) and illustrated jacket. Folio; unpaginated [40pp.]. Text in French. (Mild bowing to boards and with toning and edge wear; interior with soiling, light toning, creasing, and offsetting, a couple of areas of margin wear, one closed tear and one 1 1/2-in. tear. A good copy in an about fair only jacket.)

Jean de Brunhoff. LE VOYAGE DE BABAR. Paris: Editions du Jardin des Modes, [1932]. First edition (with only the first title from the series listed on copyright). Original red cloth-backed illustrated glossy paper-covered boards. Slim folio; 47, [1]pp. Text in French. (Boards with bowing, general scuffing and grime, edge toning, and rubbing to extremities; interior with light toning, mild spotting, marks, and soiling, and with two leaves extended; overall clean and always delightful. A good plus copy, no jacket.)

11 1/4 x 7 7/8 in.; 14 3/8 x 10 1/4 in.; 14 1/2 x 10 1/2 in.

Private Collection, New York and London

Eloise in Paris is the second book in the Eloise series.

The classic children's book character, Babar, originally inspired by the stories the author's wife told to their children, was first introduced to the world in Histoire de Babar in 1931. The next book in the series, Le Voyage de Babar, appeared the following year. While the author's son helped carry the character into later decades, Babar et le Pére Noël was the last in the seven-book series written and illustrated by Jean de Brunhoff. "If there is a universal symbol for childhood, Babar the elephant is probably it.... the character has enthralled generations of children all over the world with his Victorian rectitude and pachyderm panache" (Silvey, 191).