CLEVER BILL. [illus by William Nicholson.]

UK.slim,landscape 12mo HB+dw/dj,1st edn thus. [US, HB+dw/dj,1st edn published by Doubleday,Page & Co, New York,1926 and by William Heinemann Ltd., London,1926. This listed (UK) issue/edn by EGMONT, 2016,so a 1st edn thus.] FINE+/FINE+.Virtually as new. No owner inscrptn and no price-clip to dw/dj. Bright, crisp,clean,matt,wrap-around yellow background with 4-colour pictorial illustration to front panel (b/w,grey and red) front panel of a b/w,grey and red busbied soldier illustration and a b/w small dog to a double-lin bordered central panel with calligraphic black lettered title+author and other black lettered printing and another double-line border as the train track with a red illustrated train pulling passenger coaches behind it and black squiggled smoke as another border going around the whole illustration - all repeated to glossy, glazed bright,crisp,clean,sharp-cornered boards.Spine/backstrip with thumbnail colour illustration.Negligible shelf-wear,bumping,creasing to edges and corners - no nicks,tears or splits present.Spine/backstrip with similarly coloured+lettered author+title as front and a thumbnail,repeated coloured soldier illustration at head,black lettered title+author name,with publisher's b/w colophon to foot of same; rear panel of dw/dj with repeated black+red train illustration and repeated double-line bordered panel but with colour illustration of girl holding and kissing the soldier to its centre.and immaculate colour illustrated endpapers.Top+fore-edges bright,crisp and unblemished; contents bright, tight,clean,solid and sound - pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corner tips,appears unread other than my own collation.UK,slim,landscape 12mo HB+dw/dj,1st edn thus,28pp [unpaginated and includes both free endpapers - front endpaper with blank reverse,rear endpaper with publishing/printing details etc to its reverse,and 21 full-page colour illustrations with black lettered captions,chapters, colour illustrated throughout the book. Visually the exterior appearance is exceptional,and even internally,the book is also in an exceptional condition/state of preservation and presentation for a book of its age and nature, i.e. a young child's book. It really is an exceptional,exemplary copy for its cleanliness,brightness and lack of detracting faults. A beautiful new edition of one of the greatest children's books of all time,by the renowned artist William Nicholson,illustrator of 'The Velveteen Rabbit'. First published in 1926, this charming story of a busy day and a forgotten toy paved the way for the modern picture book.'Clever Bill' still manages to capture the heart with its winning simplicity and enchanting story of Mary and clever Bill Davis. Sir William Nicholson (1872-1949) was a distinguished British artist and graphic illustrator. He was renowned for his images of the famous, from Queen Victoria and Rudyard Kipling to Mark Twain and Theodore Roosevelt. In the early 1920s,William Heinemann Limited commissioned Nicholson to illustrate Margery Williams' 'The Velveteen Rabbit.' Nicholson went on to write and illustrate two more children's books, including 'The Pirate Twins'. Please contact seller,because of the lighter weight of this item,for correct shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! N.B. ALL buyers please note,the stocks' actual shipping/P+p costs are adjusted and any difference is refunded,after order's receipt and before the order's despatch,especially if the item(s) are offered either P+p included/FREE. ** N.B. US/Canada customers please be aware: Standard AIRMAIL postage from UK to these destinations can now cost more than the price of any inexpensive book! If speed is not of the essence,then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. anything from a 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard US AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always. **