Description

THE FIRST HARDBACK MICKEY MOUSE BOOKS, WARMLY INSCRIBED BY WALT DISNEY TO HIS SECOND GRADE TEACHER

DISNEY STUDIOS. The Adventures of Mickey Mouse. Philadelphia: David McKay, (1931). Octavo, original stiff pictorial paper boards, pictorial endpapers, original dust jacket.

First edition of one of the earliest (and the first hardback) Mickey Mouse books, boldly inscribed in crayon to Walt Disney’s second grade teacher: “To Ethel Fischer with my love and best wishes sincerely Walt Disney. August 1932.” We have never before seen a signed copy of this childhood classic.

Although Bibo & Lang of New York published a licensed, staple-bound Mickey Mouse Book in 1930, many Disney collectors regard this McKay publication—featuring a single illustrated plot, rather than several stories, games and songs—as “the first Mickey Mouse book.” It features color pictorial covers and illustrations on each page depicting Mickey and Minnie and their less famous friends Caroline Cow, Henry Horse, Patricia Pig and Gertie Goat, a very young Donald Duck and the villainous and long-forgotten Claws the Cat. This book is inscribed to Ethel Fischer, who was Walt Disney’s second grade teacher at Benton School (subsequently Benton Grammar School) in Kansas City, Missouri. Disney kept in contact with Ms. Fischer long after he graduated and occasionally sent her signed Disney items and pieces of Disney memorabilia. Contemporary pencil date.

Book near-fine, with light to extremities of boards. Scarce dust jacket extremely good with light wear to extremities. A lovely inscribed copy with a wonderful provenance.