Collodi’s Classic Work - The Story of a Puppet
The Adventures of Pinocchio
Rare First Edition in English
Collodi, C. (Carlo Lorenzini). THE STORY OF A PUPPET or The Adventures of Pinocchio. Translated from the Italian by M.A. Murray. (London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1892) First Edition, first issue. Illustrated with frontispiece and 37 illustrations by C. Mazzanti, titlepage and illustrated half-title printed in red and black. Small 8vo, publisher’s original white cloth, fully decorated and lettered in light blue on the spine and both covers in an overall filigree floral design and with end-leaves and page edges of the same design. [6], 232 pp. An unusually fresh and lovely copy of this delicate book. Internally especially clean without even a hint of foxing. A wonderfully clean copy with only very pale uniform mellowing to the spine panel, minimal evidence of shelf rubbing to the tips of the spine, two tiny marks to the spine panel, remarkably scarce and especially so in this condition.
RARE FIRST EDITION OF COLLODI’S CLASSIC STORY OF PINOCCHIO, THE WOODEN MARIONETTE WHO COMES TO LIFE. REMARKABLY SCARCE, AND ESPECIALLY SO IN THIS CONDITION.
One of the most famous, and imaginative, children’s books in the world. The story first appeared as a serial in Italian from July 1881 to January 1883 and was published in book form under the title ‘Le Avventure di Pinocchio’ in 1883. This is the first published translation of this lively and humorous adventure tale into English. The title and illustrated half title are printed in black and red, in later printings they are both printed only in black.
Not only is the edition scarce but due to the notoriously fragile nature of its production copies in collectable condition are extremely hard to come by. This copy is extremely fresh with the decorated cloth still looking as charming as ever.
Pinocchio is a true classic of world literature, and arguably the most famous children’s book to come out of Italy in the modern period. Its appeal to children was universal in its own day and has proven in ours to be not only universal, but also timeless. |
