Description
Here’s another one of L. Frank Baum’s lesser known books, Sky Island, in very good condition overall. Copyright 1912 by Reilly & Britton; this is a Reilly & Lee edition that’s a bit of a “CuriOZity”. circa 1927. The book as 12 full-color plates, as with the first edition, but the Reilly & Lee imprint on the spine and title page, and no titles on the verso of the half-title page. At first I thought this was a new variant, not recorded in the Book Collector’s Guide to Baum, but upon close inspection, 11 color plates extend a smidgen beyond the text block edge (see last two photos). The frontis is trimmed flush, so I believe this is the 1927 edition (published with the color frontis) that someone has added 11 more color plates to after publication. The plates are original, coated only on the front, and are neatly inserted in the same spots as issued for the first edition.
The book is in very good condition with a clean cover and spine, straight and tight. Front pastedown had a small corner lifted that was glued back down with archival paste. Tiny ~1/8″ chip just in the margin of the pastedown, which is still quite attractive. Inside, hinges are tight; frontispiece is quite beautiful and clean. The front endpaper and Book Belongs To page have faint erasure marks, while the rear endpaper has age toning and the ghost of some writing (see 3rd from last photo). The color plates are in very good condition overall, some with light soiling. So, an interesting copy for someone who wants a book in nice condition, with all the color plates at a discounted price over the true first edition.
