HOW RARE IS A FIRST EDITION COPY WITH DUST JACKET OF Goodnight Moon BY Margaret Wise Brown

[raaphds]

How rare is this book. Have I stumbled upon another rare treasure? Thanks Aundra.

[anthemshop247]

Not all first editions are collectible. Depends on the title, scarcity, condition. Even if a book is collectible, its value is on the south side if it is price-clipped, just like your book. It looks like a Book Club edition, which was clipped as well.  Searching for your book just on eBay, there were 35 results but of later editions. Something like yours was sold on December 7for $45.00, with foxing but perhaps not price-clipped. 

[raaphds]

Thanks mine matches up pretty well with this one.

https://www.biblio.com/book/goodnight-moon-brown-margaret-wise/d/875709635

https://www.abebooks.com/book-search/title/goodnight-moon/author/margaret-wise-brown/kw/1947/first-e...

http://1stedition.net/?pg=/z100/part08

https://www.raptisrarebooks.com/product/goodnight-moon-margaret-wise-brown-first-edition/

It has all of the first edition points. Thanks again for the reply!

[lludwig]

Nice find & great research! If I were you I would contact Stan, (aka Picturebooks) if you want more information and/or discuss your best options. Stan wrote a book about collecting picturebooks and used to post here frequently. He was our resident expert on picturebooks.

Not sure when this info was written, but this is what he had to say about the book:

"It is difficult to assess the value of Goodnight, Moon, the classic tale written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by her often collaborator Clement Hurd, the 7th most valuable American picturebook. There are no recorded sales of the first edition, and few comparable books to use as a measuring stick. If a first edition Goodnight, Moon came to market and was offered by a reputable house, at a well publicized auction, the gavel could range from $4,000 up to as high as $25,000. It's just difficult to estimate the intensity and breadth of the demand."

http://1stedition.net/?pg=/z100/part08

[lludwig]

NOTE: Stan's exact ebay ID is picture*books

It was too late to edit the preceeding post to include the * in Stan's ebay id. 

[raaphds]

Thanks so much for the reply I am excited. I found an 1808 edition of Nathaniel Fanning's memoirs and this book within 6 months of each other. That is evidence that God looks out for babies and fools. And lightning does strike in the same place twice. I am not a book dealer . I am a dealer of antiques and collectibles so I consider myself very fortunate and I am humbled. Thanks again

[fantasyclassics]

One thing to keep in mind with this title is that it is not a "stated" "First Edition". The only markings that differentiate this copy from later copies is the Publisher's name "Harper & Brother's" which later became "Harper & Row" in 1962. I think there may also be some differences in spine cloth also between early copies. Without more points to mark the copy as a First you can call any copy printed in the 16 year period (1947 - 1962) as a First Edition. How many printings were done in this period? That is where a jacket comes into play. The price and publisher ads are normally where you would look next to exclude a book as a First Edition. With this copy the original price has been clipped, and it is obvious that a Harper Crest label (Library issue) has been removed from the jacket. Is the book a Harper Crest edition, or has the jacket been "married" to the book at some point in its life? I do not wish to be negative, but I am bringing up things I would want answers to if I were considering spending a significant amount of money for a copy of this book. Yes the book itself it not especially common and it has some value. I have seen the book without jacket list in the $100 to $450 range, so it has value regardless of the jacket. Without the jacket it falls into the category of "I can't tell it from any other Harper & Brothers copy so they must all be First Editions". How much value does this particular jacket add to this book? I think that is ther real question. Another thing to consider is that any book you find listed for sale has not actually sold. You can ask any price you like, but it does little good it no one pays your price. Sold book prices are a much better indicator of value.

[raaphds]

Thanks I understand your concerns they are my concerns also all I can go by are the few books and book covers that's out there and there are 2 that I have found on the entire internet and they match this book the first edition points match my book jacket

[lludwig]

re: "it is obvious that a Harper Crest label (Library issue) has been removed from the jacket . . ."

I thought that perhaps the shaded area on the dust jacket spine was where the ""Harper Blue Ribbon Book" label had been attached as found on this copy.   

https://www.biblio.com/book/goodnight-moon-brown-margaret-wise/d/875709635

[raaphds]

The price Clips are there in the descriptions of the first edition dust jacket on the only ones that's available to be seen on the internet. I don't think that the label has been removed I think that it fell off but you can clearly see the shadow of it on the book jacket just like on one other that is on sale now for $25,000 it's so rare it's hard to find a reference.

[raaphds]

Jere is a first edition that sold with same shadow om the jacket.

[raaphds]

Here is tje othe part of the link.

Goodnight Moon.
Brown, Margaret Wise; Pictures by Clement Hurd.

Item Number: 5862

New York: Harper & Brothers, 1947. First edition. Octavo, original boards. Some light rubbing to the bottom boards, near fine in a near fine price-clipped dust jacket with a small closed tear and light general wear. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. One of the most elusive first editions, with one appearing at auction in the last 60 years.
Perhaps the perfect children's bedtime book, Goodnight Moon is a short poem of goodnight wishes from a young rabbit preparing for--or attempting to postpone--his own slumber. He says goodnight to every object in sight and within earshot, including the "quiet old lady whispering hush." Clement Hurd's illustrations are simple and effective, alternating between small ink drawings and wide, brightly colored views of the little rabbit's room. "Rhythmic, gently lulling words combined with warm and equally lulling pictures make this beloved classic "an ideal bedtime book" (The Christian Science Monitor).

OUT OF STOCK

[raaphds]

The problem with this book is thst I have only found 1 image of the first edition dust jacket and 1 other with description no image. I can only go by that. Very rare but all the first edition points match mine. There are plenty first edition books witout the cover.

[fantasyclassics]

You may well be correct. I thought I had seen a Harper Crest Sticker that was a Hex shaped label, but I can't find an example now. The shape could easily be from a Harper Blue Ribbon Label. I would think that this would mean that the jacket is from a later printing copy. Have you ever run across a First Printing with a Blue Ribbon Label? From information I have seen the original jacket price was $1.75. From the copies I have seen images of, the rear panel seems to have three titles listed, Runaway Bunny, Little Chicken, and SHhh Bang. I have seen an early Harper and Row jacket with the same three books on the rear panel. The rear flap is know to have two different ads on various copies. Some have Little Chicken (which the Harper and Row ca 1962 copy had), and some had a Little Fur Family ad. I saw some discussion of this several years ago, but I don't know if anyone ever found anything definitive.

[anthemshop247]

You have a good problem.  If there is no other in the market, you can dictate the price. But do not put it up on bidding on eBay. Wishing you the best.