10-10-2012 09:01 PM
We collectively know that the first edition Very Hungry Caterpillar was published in 1969 by World Publishing, with a Cleveland location (rather than New York). The first edition DJ price is at least $3.95, but uncertain if that is the exact price.
That's about all that is formally documented.
Does anybody have better/more information? What do you know of the first edition identification points for a Very Hungry Caterpillar?
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11-21-2013 04:34 PM
Glad to do it. See the attached photo, please.
On NY v. Cleveland, I think that's a red herring. The link below is to The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History's entry on World Pub., detailing how "Times-Mirror Inc., a newspaper, communications, and graphic arts firm, acquired World in the 1960s and moved its editorial offices to New York." The link for PRINTING AND PUBLISHING IN CLEVELAND below that entry states this happened in 1962, so long before 1969 World's editorial offices were located in New York, with their bindery still in Cleveland. I doubt there's a copy of this book that doesn't list New York.
Anyhoo, any idea on value for a first without a dust jacket? I see a lot of wild figures being thrown around, and that by people who may not even have a first edition.
http://ech.case.edu/cgi/article.pl?id=WPC
12-27-2013 02:14 AM
Interesting link to the completed auction at Bloomsbury because it only mentions the Cleveland imprint which neither of the two number lined copies complies with... the second picture is in the dust jacket, have many other pictures if anyone needs for their own research.
02-08-2014 08:44 AM
Thanks for posting the photographs kirthgersen - I hope you don't mind I used them in a blog post, and disclosed you as the source.
I didn't mention the Bloomsbury or Raptis copies because I'm still somewhat suspect, and the msnitz copy has not been offered for sale. So 2 known copies, and 2 maybe's.
10-10-2012 09:21 PM
The first edition DJ price is at least $3.95, but uncertain if that is the exact price.
Stan - I presume you meant, "at most $3.95" since the dated 1970 (also by World Publishing Company, but with the New York rather than Cleveland imprint) reprint's jacket carries the $3.95 price, along with the Library Price Code of $3.91, yes?
https://www.google.com/search?q=1970%20%22very%20hungry%20caterpillar%22%20%22WLB%20price%22&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&source=hp&channel=np
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10-10-2012 09:33 PM
Thanks Joe, it's been a long week. Yes, at most $3.95 is what I intended.
11-18-2013 06:13 AM
I just came across an early copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, It seems to have all the points of a first edition except there is no price on the dust jacket. I know this typically means that it is a BCE but i'm just trying to make sure. It has the Cleaveland imprint, and A3450 code on jacket and rear panel. Can someone help me identify? Is it possible that the true first had no price on DJ?
JN
11-18-2013 09:08 AM
Not likely....
and if it really has a "Cleaveland" imprint, it is likely a piracy since the City is spelled "Cleveland"
11-18-2013 09:11 AM
opps... the "Cleaveland" was my error, not printed that way.
11-18-2013 05:12 PM
A first edition Very Hungry Caterpillar was offered for $30,000 on ABE a couple of months ago, see the BSB thread 'Legendary Scarcity". The book was only listed for a couple of days, so presumably sold somewhere in the vicinity of the asking price. The listing indicated a numberline with "1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10" on the copyright page.
The listing:
"First edition with the number line 1-10 on the copyright page. Oblong quarto, original illustrated boards. Signed by Eric Carle who has drawn a caterpillar on the title page. Also laid in is a note from the author attesting to the book's value. Near fine in a near fine priced dust jacket. The Very Hungry Caterpillar is of legendary scarcity, especially signed. "Eric Carle was one of the first illustrators intrigued with the idea of introducing natural science concepts to young children. The Very Hungry Caterpillar has remained in print for [over] 25 years, attesting to its popularity" (Silvey, 120). The Very Hungry Caterpillar was originally published in 1969 and has since sold over 30 million copies."
11-18-2013 05:54 PM
Well that certainly confuses things. None of the other copys currently on ABE mention numberlines. Was this a reputable seller, or perhaps someone that did not know what they were doing and thats the reason the book was gone so quickly.
11-18-2013 06:06 PM
@oconee-pro-tackle wrote:Well that certainly confuses things. None of the other copys currently on ABE mention numberlines. Was this a reputable seller, or perhaps someone that did not know what they were doing and thats the reason the book was gone so quickly.
Quite the contrary, the bookseller was very reputable, which is why they can sell a book for over $20,000 after less than a week of putting it on the market.
There are no other first edition copies on the market. The Meier And Sons book is not a first edition - I've seen numerous books offered by them which are not first editions in spite of their proclamations, and have contacted them on several. All of the other sellers are listing early editions.
11-18-2013 06:16 PM
11-18-2013 07:03 PM
That copy didn't sell. I had it in my hot little hands this weekend in Boston.
11-18-2013 07:31 PM
@oconee-pro-tackle wrote:
So the book offered by Meier & Sons, what edition is this? My copy has the identical copyright page.
The first edition Very Hungry Caterpillar was published by World Publishing, not World-Collins.
Researching the Collins acquisition of World would provide you with insight into the possible publication date of your copy, and the Meier & Sons copy.
11-18-2013 07:33 PM
@robssecondjob wrote:That copy didn't sell. I had it in my hot little hands this weekend in Boston.
What was the book being offered for Rob?
And it would be extremely helpful if you would be so kind as to confirm the 1-10 numberline?
11-19-2013 04:54 AM
@picture*books wrote:
@robssecondjob wrote:That copy didn't sell. I had it in my hot little hands this weekend in Boston.
What was the book being offered for Rob?
And it would be extremely helpful if you would be so kind as to confirm the 1-10 numberline?
It was still on offer at $30k.
Unfortunately I cannot confirm the numberline. Picture books are very outside of my comfort zone and I wasn't paynig very close attention to the points. Seller was showing off a bit to me.
11-21-2013 10:03 AM
I have what appears to be a first edition of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, but the number line is 1-5, not 1-10. Here is the number line, complete with the year string:
1 2 3 4 5 73 72 71 70 69
I read that as First printing, published in 1969.
My copy is missing the dust jacket, but it has cloth boards with matte finish, A3450 on back lower right corner, no ISBN listed anywhere, publisher on title page is The World Publishing Company / New York and Cleveland.
I think that must be a first edition, but any comments, information, or confirmation would be greatly appreciated.