The Snowy Day (Stated Second Printing)

Ezra Jack Keats

Published by The Viking Press, New York, 1963

About this Item

Stated 'Second Printing, February, 1963.' The First Printing was published in 1962. The second printing is quite rare more so than the first. You can see the light blue front cover of the book in the photos. You can ask for other photos if you have an interest. The front has only a small number of very mild, hard-to-see spots. The rear cover has more, but none of it jumps out at you. There's also some toning, more so on the rear. The red and white lettering and design is bright and unworn. There's a wrinkle at the bottom edge of the spine. The corners are very solid. The edges are in good shape. The top ones show a very slight suggestion of fading, and from only one angle a little spotting perhaps. The covers have some bowing, and the front cover sits a little higher at the top than the rear one. The spine has a forward lean just over its bottom quarter. That being said, the book is very solidly bound from cover to cover. The pages are nicely tight, just as you would want them. And there are no binding issues with the covers. The interior of the book looks terrific. I didn't see any soiling anywhere. And I didn't see any creasing. There are no tears, no wear at all. The snowflake decorated inside covers and end papers, front and rear, are clean and free of wear as well. There are no markings in the book. No attachments of any kind. And no one has written their name or anything else anywhere. On to the jacket: I've always had it in a protective cover. See the first few photos. I believe it is original to the book. It is NOT price-clipped, not clipped at all. The original $3.00 (first printing price as well) is present, as is the Caldecott Medal statement (which began with the second printing) on the front flap. The second printing should have the Caldecott Medal seal, but it was removed here. You can see a few bits of the white paper still adhering where the Medal would have been. There's a bit of paper on the rear cover (a little up from the bottom edge. I would think it and the remaining medal paper could be removed without issue. The spine has some toning, also some scuffing at its ends and rear side. There's also either a small tear or scratch off the top rear edge, and either a pencil or pen jag near to it. But overall, as you can see, the jacket presents quite well, much better than most I've seen. The flaps are in excellent shape and very clean. 'The Snowy Day is a 1962 children's picture book by American author and illustrator Ezra Jack Keats. It features Peter, an African American boy, who explores his neighborhood after the season's first snowfall. Keats received the 1963 Caldecott Medal for his collage artwork, which made The Snowy Day the first picture book with an African American protagonist to win a major children's award. He was inspired by a set of photographs of an African American boy from a 1940 edition of Life magazine that had hung in his studio for over two decades. Similar to the haiku poetry in which he found inspiration, Keats applied simple and straightforward text to The Snowy Day. Words were chosen to capture a mood and were further enhanced by colorful settings. Asian art influences are seen throughout the story, giving readers a wintry theatrical backdrop across the width of two book pages. The Snowy Day's illustrations rely on a combination of collaged decorative paper, fabric and cloth. Keats created a homemade snowflake stamp and spattered India ink with a toothbrush to add embellishments.'. Seller Inventory # 003753

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Snowy Day (Stated Second Printing)

Publisher: The Viking Press, New York

Publication Date: 1963

Binding: Hardcover

Illustrator: Ezra Jack Keats

Condition: Very Good

Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good