Descrizione

First Edition, First Printing. A SUPERB ASSOCIATION COPY, INSCRIBED BY JAN WAHL TO MARY M. EDWARDS, WHOM WAHL CREDITS WITH THE VERY EXISTENCE OF THE BOOK: “To dear Mary — without whom this book would not have been — with much love from Jan / March 1968.” With a remarkable group of associated correspondence laid in, including Wahl's publication-day letter to Edwards, dated March 15, 1968, beginning “Dearest Mary” and signed “Love, ever Jan”; a playful autograph note of March 2, 1967 signed “P. Fieldmouse”; the original envelope addressed to Mary M. Edwards at Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania; and a March 11, 1968 letter from Macmillan's Children's Book Department discussing Edwards' favorable reaction to Runaway Jonah immediately prior to publication. Also included are a clipped copy of Jan Walh's obituary hand-marked "Globe 2/10/19" and a page from the September 1st, 1968 New York Times Book Review featuring their review for RUNAWAY JONAH. With illustrations by Uri Shulevitz. Short 4to, publisher's original pictorially decorated paper-covered boards and in the original dustjacet. 42pp. The book is in fine condition, a hint of offsetting on the endpapers from the dustjacket but otherwise clean and fresh, the jacket is in two pieces, slit at the spine panel which has about an 1.5 inch piece lacking, a bit worn at the edges and with a few chips and some general mellowing.

Edizione: a unique and seemingly important association copy, the copy belonging to mary mercer edwards (1936–2026) who had a career in publishing as a children’s-book editor, book buyer, and author. the inscription and correspondence establish edwards as an important figure in the genesis of the book. although the precise nature of her contribution has yet to be determined, wahl's statement that the book would not have existed without her, together with evidence that edwards had seen and responded to the work before publication, strongly suggests that she played a meaningful role in its development and publication. it is known that edwards was a children's book editor for macmillan near to the time of this publication. while the letter from the children's book department would imply she was not specifically the editor of runaway johah, jan wahl's inscription leads us to believe she worked hard making sure this book would be published.