"Cover" Art
In this case, the "cover" was actually a board box which encased the book, with a hole cut out of the board for the fur to peek through.
Sample illustration
The illustrations were actually small paintings, done by Garth Williams and meant to leave the species of the creatures vague.
Title Page
For the first edition, the book was bound in real rabbit fur. Notice the fur encasing the book and poking out around the edges.
Binding
The book was bound in real rabbit fur, which makes it look like a small animal, not a children's book! On the right side is the book, the cover was all fur.
Sample page
The typeface is in all capital letters and very easy to read. This is one of the few illustrations in the book that encompasses both pages. The book was produced smaller so that it could fit better in a child's hand. Notice how big the finger is of the person holding the book in comparison to the height of the page.
Bibliographic Description
First edition publication information: Little Fur Family was first published in fall of 1946 by Harper & Brothers Publishers in New York. It was written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Garth Williams. What made this book so unique was that it was bound in real rabbit fur, something that Brown demanded. Over 50,000 copies were made, which was a large first printing for a children's book at the time (if it didn't belong to the Golden Books series which were gaining popularity). It was a regular hardback book (beside the rabbit fur cover) with normal paper pages inside.
The book is unpaginated. Also, there are no introductions, dedications or other editors involved, although Ursula Nordstrom was the publisher's editor who worked with both Brown and Williams.
Illustrations: There are color illustrations on almost every page, all done by Garth Williams. Including the cover, there are 18 paintings throughout the book. He created these illustrations to specifically keep the species of the creatures vague: the family "might be part bear, part puppy, part human" (Marcus, 195). The illustrations are of the different family members, the tree in the wood in which they live and the adventures that the little fur creature partakes of in one day.
General appearance: What made this book stand-out (beside the rabbit-fur binding) was the patch of fur that stuck out of the hole cut into the box which encased the book. The hole was cut where the little fur child's tummy would be, an element that was used in order to compete with the popular children's book Pat the Bunny, which also had a tactile patch of fur. The book was completely covered in rabbit fur, included inside the box. The book is 7.62 cm by 11.43 cm (fairly small for publishing standards at the time), meant to fit comfortably in a child's hands. The cover of the box that encased the book is simple, with just the little fur creature wearing a hat and little white boots, with a furry torso to draw in the reader. However, with the fur covering the boards of the book, it does look a bit like a stuffed animal and less like a children's book. The cover of the book itself was all rabbit fur. In later editions, there was usually a small patch of faux fur on the fur child's tummy, similar to current editions of Pat the Bunny.
Inside the book is delightful with many illustrations to aid the reader along in the story, as well as engage their imaginations. The rabbit-fur on the tummy and the binding not only make the book's printing interesting, but complements the wild wood setting of the story. The font is in all capital letters, making it easy to read, although it is not explained in the book, the font looks almost identical to the typeface "Twentieth Century" which was created and used during the period when the book was published.
Paper: Though there are not many copies still available, the ones that have survived the sixty-plus years have held up fairly well. The paper has yellowed, but it is still in one piece, the pictures and text are legible. This has been observed through looking at the many photos posted on auction sites and other websites which discuss the book. A first-edition was not readily accessible.
Binding: The book was bound in real rabbit fur, there is no text on the spine as the entire outside of the book is covered with fur, making it look like a small creature. There was a report that Brown and her editor laughed about in which a child used the book like a stuffed animal and even tried feeding his dinner to the book. As visible in the picture above, the book pages were sewn into the binding, reinforcing the pages. "Perfect binding" which is used today "primarily consists of gluing the spine and cover of a book without any sewing" (R.Q.I.) and became popular in the 1930s, but mostly for paperback books, not hardcover ones such as Little Fur Family.
Manuscript holdings: Unfortunately, many of the original editions were destroyed by moths in the publisher's warehouse. There is a first printing being held in the Ramsey Room at Wayne State University in Detroit. There have been auctions for first editions as well, several on the LiveAuctioneers website, which have sold copies this year and last.
Brown left behind many papers, correspondence, manuscripts and stories that were unfinished, some of which were published posthumously. Her sister Roberta Brown Rauch donated these holdings to Brown's alma mater, Hollins University in 1993. The contents of these papers can be found through the university library's website in the manuscripts section, which includes other famous alumni. The Kerlan Collection at the University of Minnesota has a collection of production materials for seven of Brow's books, including a working dummy for Goodnight, Moon and proofs for The Runaway Bunny.
However, there are two first editions within the special collection at Westerly Public Library in Rhode Island, which has a large amount of Brown's papers, correspondence, books and manuscripts. According to Westerly's reference librarian Nina Wright, "We have two first editions of the book, bound in rabbit fur, one in its original box. I believe we may also have a manuscript of the book." However, the library is renovating the building and special collections are inaccessible a this time.
The book is unpaginated. Also, there are no introductions, dedications or other editors involved, although Ursula Nordstrom was the publisher's editor who worked with both Brown and Williams.
Illustrations: There are color illustrations on almost every page, all done by Garth Williams. Including the cover, there are 18 paintings throughout the book. He created these illustrations to specifically keep the species of the creatures vague: the family "might be part bear, part puppy, part human" (Marcus, 195). The illustrations are of the different family members, the tree in the wood in which they live and the adventures that the little fur creature partakes of in one day.
General appearance: What made this book stand-out (beside the rabbit-fur binding) was the patch of fur that stuck out of the hole cut into the box which encased the book. The hole was cut where the little fur child's tummy would be, an element that was used in order to compete with the popular children's book Pat the Bunny, which also had a tactile patch of fur. The book was completely covered in rabbit fur, included inside the box. The book is 7.62 cm by 11.43 cm (fairly small for publishing standards at the time), meant to fit comfortably in a child's hands. The cover of the box that encased the book is simple, with just the little fur creature wearing a hat and little white boots, with a furry torso to draw in the reader. However, with the fur covering the boards of the book, it does look a bit like a stuffed animal and less like a children's book. The cover of the book itself was all rabbit fur. In later editions, there was usually a small patch of faux fur on the fur child's tummy, similar to current editions of Pat the Bunny.
Inside the book is delightful with many illustrations to aid the reader along in the story, as well as engage their imaginations. The rabbit-fur on the tummy and the binding not only make the book's printing interesting, but complements the wild wood setting of the story. The font is in all capital letters, making it easy to read, although it is not explained in the book, the font looks almost identical to the typeface "Twentieth Century" which was created and used during the period when the book was published.
Paper: Though there are not many copies still available, the ones that have survived the sixty-plus years have held up fairly well. The paper has yellowed, but it is still in one piece, the pictures and text are legible. This has been observed through looking at the many photos posted on auction sites and other websites which discuss the book. A first-edition was not readily accessible.
Binding: The book was bound in real rabbit fur, there is no text on the spine as the entire outside of the book is covered with fur, making it look like a small creature. There was a report that Brown and her editor laughed about in which a child used the book like a stuffed animal and even tried feeding his dinner to the book. As visible in the picture above, the book pages were sewn into the binding, reinforcing the pages. "Perfect binding" which is used today "primarily consists of gluing the spine and cover of a book without any sewing" (R.Q.I.) and became popular in the 1930s, but mostly for paperback books, not hardcover ones such as Little Fur Family.
Manuscript holdings: Unfortunately, many of the original editions were destroyed by moths in the publisher's warehouse. There is a first printing being held in the Ramsey Room at Wayne State University in Detroit. There have been auctions for first editions as well, several on the LiveAuctioneers website, which have sold copies this year and last.
Brown left behind many papers, correspondence, manuscripts and stories that were unfinished, some of which were published posthumously. Her sister Roberta Brown Rauch donated these holdings to Brown's alma mater, Hollins University in 1993. The contents of these papers can be found through the university library's website in the manuscripts section, which includes other famous alumni. The Kerlan Collection at the University of Minnesota has a collection of production materials for seven of Brow's books, including a working dummy for Goodnight, Moon and proofs for The Runaway Bunny.
However, there are two first editions within the special collection at Westerly Public Library in Rhode Island, which has a large amount of Brown's papers, correspondence, books and manuscripts. According to Westerly's reference librarian Nina Wright, "We have two first editions of the book, bound in rabbit fur, one in its original box. I believe we may also have a manuscript of the book." However, the library is renovating the building and special collections are inaccessible a this time.
Title page transcription:
LITTLE
FUR
FAMILY
BY
MARGARET WISE BROWN
PICTURES BY
GARTH WILLIAMS
Copyright, 1946, by
HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS
Title page verso transcription (from a 1991 edition):
COPYRIGHT 1946 BY HARPER & ROW, PUBLISHERS, INC.
Text copyright renewed 1974 by Roberta Brown Rauch
Illustrations copyright renewed 1974 by Garth Williams
ISBN 0-06-020745-0
ISBN 0-06-020746-9 (lib. bdg.)
LC Number 51-11657
Manufactured in China.
LITTLE
FUR
FAMILY
BY
MARGARET WISE BROWN
PICTURES BY
GARTH WILLIAMS
Copyright, 1946, by
HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS
Title page verso transcription (from a 1991 edition):
COPYRIGHT 1946 BY HARPER & ROW, PUBLISHERS, INC.
Text copyright renewed 1974 by Roberta Brown Rauch
Illustrations copyright renewed 1974 by Garth Williams
ISBN 0-06-020745-0
ISBN 0-06-020746-9 (lib. bdg.)
LC Number 51-11657
Manufactured in China.
Sources
"Browse Inside Little Fur Family." HarperCollinsCanada. <http://browseinside.harpercollins.ca/index.aspx?isbn13=9780060207458>
"Little Fur Family, rare 1st Ed. bound rabbit fur." LiveAuctioneers. 2009 Dec. 16. <http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/6883128>
"Manuscripts." Hollins University Wyndham Robertson Library. <http://www.hollins.edu/library/speccol/manuscripts.shtml>
Marcus, Leonard. Margaret Wise Brown: Awakened by the Moon. Boston: Beacon. (1992).
"Margaret Wise Brown Papers." The Children's Literature Research Collections. Kerlan Collection. University of Minnesota. <http://special.lib.umn.edu/findaid/xml/CLRC-9.xml>
Nordstrom, Ursula. Dear Genius: the letters of Ursula Nordstrom. New York, NY: HarperCollins. (1998).
R.Q.I. "Brief History on the Art of Bookbinding." 2007 Jul 25. <http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/322391/brief_history_on_the_art_of_bookbinding_pg2.html?cat=24>
Sieruta, Peter. "Tales from the Ramsey Room." Collecting Children's Books. 2008 Apr 17. <http://collectingchildrensbooks.blogspot.com/2008/04/tails-from-ramsey-room.html>
"Twentieth Century." <http://www.identifont.com/show?3R8>
Wright, Nina. [email protected]. (401)596-2877 ext. 3
"Little Fur Family, rare 1st Ed. bound rabbit fur." LiveAuctioneers. 2009 Dec. 16. <http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/6883128>
"Manuscripts." Hollins University Wyndham Robertson Library. <http://www.hollins.edu/library/speccol/manuscripts.shtml>
Marcus, Leonard. Margaret Wise Brown: Awakened by the Moon. Boston: Beacon. (1992).
"Margaret Wise Brown Papers." The Children's Literature Research Collections. Kerlan Collection. University of Minnesota. <http://special.lib.umn.edu/findaid/xml/CLRC-9.xml>
Nordstrom, Ursula. Dear Genius: the letters of Ursula Nordstrom. New York, NY: HarperCollins. (1998).
R.Q.I. "Brief History on the Art of Bookbinding." 2007 Jul 25. <http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/322391/brief_history_on_the_art_of_bookbinding_pg2.html?cat=24>
Sieruta, Peter. "Tales from the Ramsey Room." Collecting Children's Books. 2008 Apr 17. <http://collectingchildrensbooks.blogspot.com/2008/04/tails-from-ramsey-room.html>
"Twentieth Century." <http://www.identifont.com/show?3R8>
Wright, Nina. [email protected]. (401)596-2877 ext. 3
