Description
Here is a hard to find British copy of the Wizard of Oz published by Hutchinson–according to Bibliographia Oziana, circa 1926. It predates the other Hutchinson versions of this book, all of which are scarce and desirable. (There was one earlier British version of this book issued by Hodder & Stoughton in 1906). According to BibOz: “This (Hutchinson) edition has no color plates, but many of Denslow’s black and white illustrations are included. There are two states of the cover: the first is very dark brick-red cloth, stamped in black, with a paper label on the front with the same design as that for the fourth and fifth United states editions; the later state lacks the paper label. The size of leaf is smaller than United States printings: only 6 5/8″ by 4 7/8”. This is the first state of this edition, with the pastedown paper label on the cover. Only the second time I’ve offered it in 19 years of selling Oz.
This little book is in good overall condition. The cover pastedown is a little scuffed, and the book is slightly cocked. Spine and rear cover have light wear. Inside, the hinges are both intact, though the spine is cracked in a couple places, so some of the gatherings are a little loose. Overall the text is very nice, with just light soiling and no writing. Generally quite clean. British Oz books are very collectible, especially the early ones!
