(WYETH, N. C.) illustrator. RAWLINGS, Marjorie Kinnan. The Yearling. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1939. SIGNED LIMITED EDITION; from a limited printing of 770 copies, of which 750 were designated for commercial sale. This copy is prominently signed by both the author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings and illustrator N. C. Wyeth on the limitation page. 8vo (9-1/2" x 7"). viii, 400 pp., plus [18] leaves of plates, including [2] leaves containing a facsimile letter from N. C. Wyeth. Lavishly illustrated by Wyeth with 14 full-color plates and two black-and-white drawings. Bound in the publisher's original first-state blue-green cloth-covered boards, beautifully decorated and titled in bright gilt to the front cover and spine, with top edge gilt and other edges left untrimmed. Complete with the original blue-green stiff paper chemise featuring a black paper paste-on label stamped in gilt to the spine, and the matching blue-green paper covered board slipcase. The entire ensemble is housed and preserved in a custom, gilt-tooled quarter morocco solander box executed by Asprey.
The physical condition of the item is graded FINE (utilizing the standard antiquarian book grading scale for works on paper). The book itself presents in immaculate, "as new" condition with flawless cloth and internally bright, crisp text pages and plates. The original paper chemise is graded NEAR FINE, presenting exceptionally well with only minor fading to the spine area and a touch of superficial wear to one fold. The original slipcase is graded VERY GOOD +, showing a trace of uniform spine fading and a few light touches of shelfwear to the edges. The custom Asprey quarter morocco solander box is excellently preserved, providing premium archival protection.
Pulitzer Prize Masterpiece and Wyeth's Definitive Florida Visions
Originally published in 1938 and winning the 1939 Pulitzer Prize for the Novel, The Yearling stands as an enduring masterpiece of American regional literature. Set in the remote Florida backwoods of the 1870s, Rawlings’ deeply moving narrative chronicles the coming-of-age of young Jody Baxter and the orphaned fawn, Flag, that he raises as a beloved pet. While the story captured the hearts of millions worldwide, it was this deluxe 1939 limited edition that forever wedded Rawlings’ lyrical prose to the sweeping, evocative artwork of legendary American illustrator N. C. Wyeth. Wyeth’s brilliant use of color and depth perfectly mirrors the rugged, lush isolation of the scrub forest and the emotional weight of rural boyhood. This edition also uniquely preserves a printed facsimile letter from Wyeth detailing his artistic interpretation and creative approach to illustrating the novel.
Deluxe Scribner Production and Prestige Asprey Housing
Unlike the mass-market trade printings of the era, Scribner's spared no expense in crafting this ultra-premium, signed limited variant for serious bibliophiles. Printed on heavy, untrimmed paper stock and issued in a restricted run of 770 copies, the title remains a cornerstone of 20th-century American book collecting. Surviving copies are frequently marred by faded cloth, split chemise seams, or broken slipcases due to the sheer size and weight of the volume. This particular specimen is not only an elite survival in its native components, but its prestige is significantly elevated by its inclusion in a bespoke quarter morocco solander box from Asprey of London—the world-renowned luxury purveyor to royalty and elite collectors since 1781.
THIS SPECTACULAR, SIGNED LIMITED PRINTING OF RAWLINGS' PULITZER PRIZE MASTERPIECE REPRESENTS A PINNACLE COLLABORATION OF AMERICAN LITERATURE AND CLASSIC ILLUSTRATION, MAGNIFICENTLY PRESERVED IN ITS ORIGINAL CHEMISE, SLIPCASE AND AN EXQUISITE CUSTOM ASPREY SOLANDER BOX—REPRESENTING A CRITICAL ACQUISITION FOR INSTITUTIONAL SPECIAL COLLECTIONS OR EXTRAORDINARY PRIVATE COLLECTIONS DEVOTED TO THE HISTORY OF TWENTIETH-CENTURY AMERICAN FICTION, ILLUSTRATED BOOKS, OR FINE BINDINGS.
# 000992