The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, Signed (42 results)

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. Foreman, Michael (illustrator). 1st Edition. UK hardback first impression of this illustrated edition, INSCRIBED by Foreman to Janet James, designer of the book, who has in turn INSCRIBED it to someone else. Fine in fine jacket. HEAVIER THAN AVERAGE - THERE MAY BE EXTRA POSTAGE OUTSIDE THE UK - THANKS. Signed by Author.

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. Illustrated by Michael Hague (illustrator). Fifth Printing. Full cloth, lettered in gilt. Signed by Hague, without inscription, to the title page. Book in excellent condition, nearly fine. The dust jacket has some wear to the upper spine, creasing along the upper, front edge. Not price clipped. ; Small 4to 9" - 11" tall; Signed by Author.

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. Illus. By Michael Hague (illustrator). 205 pp. Size: approx. 8.5" x 10.5". SIGNED, INSCRIBED, and WITH DELIGHTFUL ORIGINAL DRAWING by illustrator Michael Hague on page preceding title page. Minor shelf and handling wear; faint edge-fading and scratches to boards. Light soiling and wear to dust jacket, including small creases or closed tears (see photos); dust jacket is now enclosed in a (removable) protective mylar cover. Attractive copy. Signed by Illustrator(s).

Full-Leather. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. Ernest H. Shepard (illustrator). Limited Edition. Green leather boards and spine lettered and decorated in gilt; the 'sheen' on the front panel slightly compromised. Text block edges tipped in gilt. Number 219 of 250 copies, signed by Shepard. Comes with pale green slip case. Signed by Illustrator(s).

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. Gilt and black decorative printed green cloth hard covers, with illustration set to front, in patterned paper rigid slip-case. The 14th printing, of 2021, a special issue of 200 copies SIGNED by Charles van Sandwyk on a special illustrated bookplate set to recto face of frontispiece. Clean, tight and unmarked. Very neat -- a sound and handsome copy, as new with glassine wrapper (showing a closed tear) still present. Size: 4to - over 9¾ - 12" tall. Signed by Author(s). Book.

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. No Jacket. 1st Edition. FIRST EDITION THUS, DELUXE LIMITED EDITION, signed and numbered by Shepard 163/250 copies. This was the first edition to produce Shepard's illustrations in colour. Octavo. Publisher's full green grained morocco boards, finely decorated in gilt to upper board, spine with five raised bands and lettered in gilt within compartments, with three small character portraits in blind, AEG, illustrated endpapers. No fading or rubbing as often found with this book. A superb copy, seemingly unopened. Housed in the original illustrated card slipcase with buckram ends, with just the slightest loss to some of the gilt in the word 'Illustrated' on the spine, and rubbing to corners. Fine. Signed by Author(s).

[Children's classic] SECOND PRINTING, the same month as the first (October). WITH FINE PROVENANCE. Octavo (20 x 13cm), pp.[8] 302 [2]. Frontispiece by Graham Robertson with tissue guard. Publisher's green cloth with gilt titles and decoration to spine, elaborate gilt illustration of Mole, Ratty and Pan at the riverbank blocked in gilt to front cover. Top edge gilt, others untrimmed. INSCRIBED to free endpaper; To Lady Speyer / from Philip Burne-Jones / January 1909. Contents clean, lightest of spots to endpapers, covers remarkably bright. Simply a fine fresh copy. A social drama for children, peopled by animals, and overseen by the Great God Pan (who is apparently not dead). Sir Philip William Burne-Jones, 2nd Baronet (1861-1926) was an artist, the first child of Pre-Raphaelite painter Sir Edward Burne-Jones, and a cousin of both author Rudyard Kipling and Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin. He produced over sixty paintings, including portraits, landscapes, and poetic fantasies such as 'The Vampire' (1897), which inspired cousin Kipling's poem of the same name. The recipient Lady Leonora Speyer (1872-1956), who was painted by John Singer Sargent in 1907, was an American poet and violinist, winner of the 1927 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.

First Shepard edition. One of 200 numbered copies, this number 140, signed by Kenneth Grahame and Ernest Shepard. Illustrations after drawings by Shepard printed in black throughout, folding map at rear. 8vo., 24x19cm, 312pp. Fine later binding by Margaret Chandler (bound 1985) in full green goatskin, decorated with elaborate leather onlay in a pattern of horizontal colour blocks in blue, gray, red, yellow, white and other shades, reverse calf doublures, blue paper endleaves, binders label stamped 'MC' to lower turn-in, top edge gilt, with original gray cloth drop back box, spine label in green and gray leather lettered in gilt. London, Methuen. Very good, very slight rubbing to covers, internally clean and bright. The first edition of Wind in the Willows to be illustrated by Ernest Shepard, the only illustrated edition which Kenneth Grahame approved, signed by both author and artist in a magnificent binding by Margaret Chandler. Margaret Chandler conceived of her binding as representing the waters of a lake rippling in the distance behind overhanging willows. When the binding was made in 1985, Chandler was struck by the then emerging technology of computer graphics, and this inspired her use of rectangular panels of onlay in the style of pixels on a screen.

Centenary edition de luxe. One of 1,000 copies with an original copperplate etching signed by the artist, this copy numbered 483. Folio. Vellum backed green paper covered boards. The boards embossed with gilt vignettes and corners tipped with vellum. Housed in the publisher's cloth drop over box, with gilt title label on the spine. A fine copy, housed in original green cloth box, with illustrated advertising letter present. Pictorial endpapers, an original copperplate signed etching, sixteen large tipped in colour plates, plus many line drawings in the text by Charles Van Sandwyk. This is a beautiful production published to mark the book's centenary. Sandwyk's illustrations offer a fresh style, using a vibrant colour palette, whilst also being influenced by the drawings of Arthur Rackham and E.H. Shepard, creating a beautiful and impressive volume.

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Limited Edition. "The Wind in the Willows" by Kenneth Grahame. centenary edition, Folio Society, 2008 Limited edition 358/1000, from a total edition of 1030., 16 tipped-in colour plates by Charles van Sandwyk, original mounted copper etching, signed and numbered by the artist, top edge gilt, original vellum-backed pictorial boards gilt, contained in original solander box, folio. Signed by Illustrator(s).

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Centenary Edition. 33 x 22.5 cm. 266pp. Hand-bound in vellum blocked in 22 carat gold, with vellum tips and Oxford paper sides, by The Fine Book Bindery. Housed in green cloth solander box. This Centenary Edition is limited to 1000 copies each with an original copper plate etching signed by the artist, Charles van Sandwyk, mounted to a prelim of which this is copy 722. 16 additional tipped-in color plates as well as pen drawings by van Sandwyk throughout. Beautiful edition.

[Castiglioni, Luigi, binder.] Grahame, Kenneth (1859-1932). The wind in the willows. x, 132, [4]pp. 13 full-color and 9 smaller 2-color linocut illustrations by Vladimir Zimakov. N.p.: Mad Parrot Press, 2021. No. 26 of 75 numbered copies and 10 deluxe copies, signed by Chad Pastotnik of Mad Parrot Press. 354 x 278 mm. Custom binding by Luigi Castiglioni consisting of undyed and dyed pigskin enhanced in gilt, cutouts in the covers embellished with metal ornaments suggesting tree branches, green suede endpapers; custom slipcase. Very fine. Printed in 14-point Centaur type with Arrighi, on St. Armand Canal cotton rag paper designed especially for this edition. .

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. No Jacket. Illustrated Edition. The Wind in the Willows. Illustrated Edition. London: Methuen & Co., 1931. 4to (227 x 182mm).) ONE OF 200 "DE-LUXE" COPIES ON HAND-MADE PAPER SIGNED BY KENNETH GRAHAME AND ERNEST SHEPARD. this being an out-of-series copy, with part of the statement of limitation crossed out and inscribed beneath, by Shepard, "This is a presentation copy for C. W. Chamberlain Esq." Chamberlain was the Chairman and Managing Director of the publisher, Methuen. He later presented the book to his granddaughter with an additional inscription, "May 1942. Now presented to dear S. P. by Grandpa Chamberlain," and with a note loosely-inserted, stamped "18 May 1942", urging that the present volume be ". put away until the young lady is of an age to understand how to look after good books! (It is quite valuable)." CONDITION: Original green cloth-backed boards with printed spine label, replacement spine label bound in at end as issued, mostly unopened, uncut (edges lightly rubbed and faded, some faint browning to covers, small stain on spine label, lightly bumped). Provenance: C. W. Chamberlain (Chairman and Managing Director of Methuen; presentation inscription by Shepard on limitation leaf, later gift inscription from Chamberlain and note loosely inserted); sold at Christie s Auctions, South Kensington, 3 July 1998, lot 36. Signed by Author(s).

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. FIRST EDITION THUS; signed by illustrator, cloth-bound, hardcover with slipcase, octavo (25cm x 18cm x 2.5cm), pp. 206. English text with an introduction by Alan Bennett. Bound in the publisher's original gilt-pictorial moire silk-cloth and presented in the original cardboard slipcase, green endpapers, half-title, 8 fantastic colour illustrations by James Lynch, nicely signed by the illustrator on the half-title page. Condition: FINE. A wonderful immaculate copy. Scarce thus. Signed by Illustrator(s).

Condition: Fine. Centenary Edition. 266 pp. Quarto (33cm X 25cm). Quarter vellum binding blocked in 22-carat gold with vellum tips and Oxford paper sides blocked in three metallic foils. Hand bound by The Fine Book Bindery, Wellingborough, Northants. Gilt top edge. Illustrated endpaper maps printed letterpress on Hahnemühle Bugra Butten by the Logan Press, Wellingborough, Northants. A signed and numbered hand-printed sepia copperplate etching tipped in one of the coloured front free end papers. The limited edition etching has been hand printed by New Leaf Editions, Vancouver, Canada, on Somerset velvet buff 100% cotton mould-made paper. Signed and dated by Van Sandwyk opposite etching page. An original full colour plate by Van Sandwyk tipped in as a frontispiece. Roughly 100 illustrations and 16 tipped-in colour plates throughout text. The plates have been printed on Hello matt art paper by Beacon Press, Uckfield, Sussex. Text composed in Founder's Caslon types at The Folio Society and printed on Cordier Wove paper by T.J. International, Padstow, Cornwall. This edition follows the original 1908 Methuen and Co text. Presented in a dark green cloth-bound clamshell case with illustrated and gilt lettered label on spine. Copy number 910 out of a limited printing of 1000 copies. A truly beautiful item in fine condition. Charles Van Sandwyk's illustrations have been compared favourably to Ernest Shepard's and Arthur Rackham's illustrations of Kenneth Grahame's classic work. Van Sandwyk's work's featured in the National Library of Canada and institutions around the world. His other award-winning books include the Parade to Paradise, Sketches from the Dream Island of Birds and How to See Fairies. Signed by Van Sandwyk below hand printed etching. This copy is unique as Van Sandwyk's only signature normally appears on the original etching. The second signature opposite the etching page makes this an exceptional copy.

Condition: Fine. Centenary Edition. 266 pp. Original full page pen and ink illustration that has been hand coloured by Van Sandwyk. Illustration tipped-in the second white front free end paper. Drawing depicts Ratty and Mole sitting by a cozy living room fire enjoying a drink and a smoke. Signed by Van Sandwyk on the bottom right edge, just below a small drawing of a dragonfly. The illustration is surrounded on the page by a hand drawn and gilt decorated border that is similar to the one found around the etching. Signed by Van Sandwyk again near the lower left corner of border. Folio (33cm X 25cm). Quarter vellum binding blocked in 22-carat gold with vellum tips and Oxford paper sides blocked in three metallic foils. Hand bound by The Fine Book Bindery, Wellingborough, Northants. Gilt top edge. Illustrated endpaper maps, printed letterpress on Hahnemühle Bugra Butten by the Logan Press, Wellingborough, Northants. A signed and numbered hand-printed sepia copperplate etching tipped-on one of the coloured front free end papers. The limited edition etching has been hand printed by New Leaf Editions, Vancouver, Canada, on Somerset velvet buff 100% cotton mould-made paper. Signed and dated by Van Sandwyk opposite etching page. A full colour illustration tipped-in as a frontispiece. Roughly 100 illustrations and 16 tipped-in colour plates throughout text. The plates have been printed on Hello matt art paper by Beacon Press, Uckfield, Sussex. Text composed in Founder's Caslon types at The Folio Society and printed on Cordier Wove paper by T.J. International, Padstow, Cornwall. This edition follows the original 1908 Methuen and Co text. Presented in a dark green cloth-bound clamshell case with illustrated and gilt lettered label on spine. Number IX out of 30 hors commerce copies reserved for the artist, all numbered in roman numerals. A superb copy with the addition of an original watercolour in fine condition. Includes signed prospectus set. The tipped-in hand drawn illustration can also be found on the cover of the trade edition, but in B/W. Charles Van Sandwyk's illustrations have been compared favourably to Ernest Shepard's and Arthur Rackham's illustrations of Kenneth Grahame's classic work. Van Sandwyk's work's featured in the National Library of Canada and institutions around the world. His other award-winning books include the Parade to Paradise, Sketches from the Dream Island of Birds and How to See Fairies. Signed by Van Sandwyk below hand printed etching. An exquisite copy.

Condition: Fine. Centenary Edition. 266 pp. Quarto (33cm X 25cm). Quarter vellum binding blocked in 22-carat gold with vellum tips and Oxford paper sides blocked in three metallic foils. Hand bound by The Fine Book Bindery, Wellingborough, Northants. Gilt top edge. Illustrated endpaper maps printed letterpress on Hahnemühle Bugra Butten by the Logan Press, Wellingborough, Northants. A signed and numbered hand-printed sepia copperplate etching tipped in one of the coloured front free end papers. The limited edition etching has been hand printed by New Leaf Editions, Vancouver, Canada, on Somerset velvet buff 100% cotton mould-made paper. An original full colour plate by Van Sandwyk tipped in as a frontispiece. Roughly 100 illustrations and 16 tipped-in colour plates throughout text. The plates have been printed on Hello matt art paper by Beacon Press, Uckfield, Sussex. Text composed in Founder's Caslon types at The Folio Society and printed on Cordier Wove paper by T.J. International, Padstow, Cornwall. This edition follows the original 1908 Methuen and Co text. Presented in a dark green cloth-bound clamshell case with illustrated and gilt lettered label on spine. Copy number 822 out of a limited printing of 1000 copies. A truly beautiful item in fine condition. Charles Van Sandwyk's illustrations have been compared favourably to Ernest Shepard's and Arthur Rackham's illustrations of Kenneth Grahame's classic work. Van Sandwyk's works hang in the National Library of Canada and his other award-winning books include the Parade to Paradise, Sketches from the Dream Island of Birds and How to See Fairies. Signed by Van Sandwyk below hand printed etching. An exquisite copy.

First edition, Deluxe edition signed by both A.A. Milne and Kenneth Grahame, number 17 of only 200 copies. White boards and blue cloth spine, printed paper label on upper cover and spare label present. Printed on handmade paper with only top edge trimmed. Original cream dustwrapper with printed titles. A fine copy in a near fine dustwrapper with slight spotting to the upper panel and some minor wear to the head of the spine.

Vellum and Boards. Condition: Fine. Charles Van Sandwyk (illustrator). Limited Edition. Gilt lettered quarter vellum over decorated boards. Top edge gilt.Housed in hunter green cloth clamshell box. Edition limited to 1000 copies with a numbered plate signed by the artist. This is numbered 143. Spectacularly illustrated edition of the classic. Fine copy Size: 4to - over 9¾ - 12" tall. Signed by Illustrator(s). Book.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Limited Edition. The Wind in the Willows. Kenneth Grahame. Signed by designer Bruce Rogers. [1940] Limited Editions Club; slipcased hardcover in very good vintage condition or nearly so. Illustrated by Arthur Rackham. Introduction by AA Milne. Larger format tall quarter-leather hardcover with a bit of rubbing at top and bottom of spine; bookplate on pastedown; a bit of darkening to spine; very light handling wear otherwise; tight/square; pub's insert tipped to back pastedown. Rogers' signature and number (836/2200) on limitation page. Color plates tipped throughout. A scarce signed copy for the collector of rare vintage books. Signed by Illustrator.

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. E.H. Shepard (illustrator). 8vo. One quarter green buckram over gray boards with paper label to spine. Cream dust jacket with navy lettering. Dust jacket has slight sunning to the rear panel and very light nicking to the edges. The book is in very near fine condition. A spectacular copy of this limited and signed edition, which Grahame approved and liked the illustrations. Edition of 200 copies, this is number 46. Signed by Kenneth Grahame and E. H. Shepard.

Hardcover. Condition: As New. Dust Jacket Condition: No Dust Jacket. The Special Centenary Limited Edition published by The Folio Society in London. 2008. The Book is in Fine, seemingly unread, condition. Strictly limited to 1,000 numbered copies, this is number 368. The book is handbound in white quarter vellum, blocked on the spine in 22-carat gold, with vellum tips and paper sides blocked in three shades of metallic foil. Each copy contains a limitation spread with a tipped-in etching, hand-printed under the artist's supervision and signed by him with the limitation number. Beautiful New illustrations have been created by Charles van Sandwyk, and the book now contains 16 colour plates, all tipped in by hand, with gold edges and exquisite gold borders. Forty new pen-and-ink drawings have been added, including chapter heads and tails, as well as many hand-drawn captions. The newly designed endpapers showing an architectural plan of Toad Hall have been printed by letterpress. The calligraphy has been printed letterpress by the Logan Press. Gilded top edge, 280 pages. Book size: 13" x 9¾". Presented in the fine publisher's original cloth-bound solander box with gilt lettered title label. 'The drawings were made especially for it, and have never been printed anywhere else'. Very scarce with such attributes. A wonderful production celebrating the 100th anniversary of the the title's first publication. More images available on request. Very Heavy, MAY require extra postage depending on your location, please enquire if unsure about postage costs. Images available on Request ; Large 4to 11" - 13" tall; Signed by Illustrator Special Centenary Limited Edition; First Printing.

Hard Cover. Condition: Very Good. Arthur Rackham (illustrator). Limited. Limited Editions Club,1940. Limited to 2020 copies, this is copy number 35. Signed by designer, Bruce Rogers, on limitation page at end of book. Hard Cover in slipcase. Top edge gilt, rough cut pages. Grey slipcase is sound, with numerous tiny chips around open edge, tiny chip at bottom of spine edge, gilt title remains bright. Marbled boards with cloth spine. Cover has a tiny rub at top of darkened spine, otherwise pristine. 16 tipped-in delightful color illustrations by Arthur Rackham. A beautiful edition of a classic tale. Letter from publisher 'To the Members' and Limited Editions Club newsletter from September, 1940 included. Beautiful condition. This Limited Editions Club (LEC) edition by Kenneth Grahame transforms this beloved Edwardian children's classic into a collector's treasurean object of art as much as a storybook. Originally published in 1908, Grahame's whimsical tale of animal characters living along an idyllic English riverbank has seen countless printings, but the LEC edition stands out for its craftsmanship, visual beauty, and reverence for the text.

First edition with illustrations by E.H. Shepard. 8vo. Signed by both Grahame and Shepard to the title page. Original dark green cloth with gilt vignettes on upper cover and titles on the spine. A fine copy, small bump to head of the spine. A couple of very light spots to front endpapers and first blank, otherwise clean internally. Pictorial endpapers. Illustrated throughout in line. Uncommon signed by both author and illustrator. Grahame's children's classic was originally published in 1908 with no illustrations in the text. Although the work was subsequently illustrated by several artists, none matched the success of the text until, E.H.Shepard, fresh from his successful collaboration on A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh books, brought the narrative to life with his evocative line drawings in 1931. His illustrations have been barely out of print since and have become inexorably linked to the book.

With an Introduction by A. A. Milne. 245 [1] pp. With 16 tipped-in color illustrations by Arthur Rackham. Folio, publisher's cloth-backed decorated paper boards, t.e.g., in publisher's slipcase. First edition; No. 637 of 2020 copies signed by Bruce Rogers, the designer. Spine very slightly dust-soiled; otherwise fine in a slightly tanned slipcase with some rubbing and wear along the joints, including a 4" split along one lower edge.

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Charles Van Sandwyk (illustrator). Folio limited Edition. Folio. Gilt lettered quarter vellum over grey paper boards decorated in gilt and brown.Top edge gilt. Housed in green cloth clamshell box with gilt lettered title label. Edition limited to 1000 numbered copies and 30 copies in roman numerals. This is copy XX. This book with an original copper etching signed and numbered by the artist. Although illustrated by many artists this edition is wonderfully illustrated for the first time by Canadian artist Charles Van Sandwyk. Light bump to one corner of the clamshell, otherwise fine and without wear, the book in as new condition.

First edition. 8vo. Original blue-green cloth with gilt vignettes and titles to the spine and upper cover. Top edge gilt. Author's presentation copy, inscribed by Grahame on the half title, "To Ruth Ward, from her friend Kenneth Grahame / Oct. 1908" A little wear to the spine ends and corners, but generally bright and clean and notably fresh internally. Woodcut frontispiece by Graham Robertson. A rare presentation copy of one of the classics of children's literature. Ruth Ward was the daughter of family friends of the Grahames, Sidney and Katherine Ward. Sidney Ward was a colleague of Grahame's at the Bank of England who became a close friend and "companions for hearty country weekends". (ODNB) Ruth was the same age as Grahame's son, Alastair, (known to his parents as Mouse) and became a close childhood friend. Wind in the Willows had its genesis in a series of impromptu bedtime stories which Grahame told Alastair. Katherine Ward was one of the first to hear about these stories, as Grahame refers to them in a letter to her of May 1904, "[Mouse] had a bad crying fit on the night of his birthday, and I had to tell him stories about moles, giraffes & water-rats (he selected these subjects) till after 12." This copy was sent by Grahame to Ward as a birthday present. In a letter to her, Grahame's wife Elspeth writes, "I thought you might like perhaps better than anything else a new book that Mouse's Daddy has just written, so I asked him for one for your birthday present. I want to know how you like it." The two families remained in contact throughout Grahame's life, Elspeth writing to Ruth Ward on Grahame's death in 1932 to tell him that he had been buried next to Mouse (who had committed suicide in 1920), "Kenneth so loved the Boy & so loved Oxford itself that we are glad to think he rests there. I felt you knew Mouse so well & Kenneth also that I would like you to know they were together." Presentation copies of the first edition of Wind in the Willows are of the utmost rarity in commerce. We know of but six copies, 1. Inscribed to Helen Grahame (Oct. 1908). Private American Collection. 2. Inscribed to Ruth Ward (Oct. 1908). Present copy. 3. Inscribed to Foy Quiller-Couch (Oct. 1908). Private American Collection. 4. Inscribed to Thomas Anstey Guthrie ("F. Anstey") (Oct. 1908). Private British collection. 5. Inscribed to Constance Smedley (Oct. 1908). Sold Sotheby Oct. 1981. 6. Inscribed to Mary E. Richardson. Sold Sotheby July 1965. Osborne p. 349.

Hardcover. Arthur Rackham (illustrator). First Edition. Bound in half white linen and marbled boards. Copy #717 of 2020 copies with an introduction by A. A. Milne and illustrated with 16 color plates by Arthur Rackham. First published in 1908, this is the first publication of this title with Rackham's illustrations. Designed by Bruce Rogers, who has SIGNED the colophon page, this is the only one of Rackham's major works to be first published posthumously, and this edition of the book is the only one to include all 16 color illustrations, the trade edition having only twelve. This is the first enduringly popular work of fiction to introduce the automobile as a major plot element. Light foxing to first and last few pages; mild soiling to the spine. Very Good, lacking the slipcase.

Second edition, printed in the same month as the first edition and in identical format. 8vo. Original blue-green cloth with gilt illustration on the spine and upper cover. Top edge gilt. Author's presentation copy, inscribed on the half-title, "Austin M. Purves / with greeting, + all the good wishes of the season, from Kenneth Grahame, Christmas 1908" A beautiful, fine copy, bright and crisp and internally perfect. A superb copy. Striking black and white frontispiece by Graham Robertson. Austin Montgomery Purves was a Philadelphia based businessman, associated with the Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Company for more than thirty years. Purves had a keen interest in grand opera as well as art and literature and sought to move in artistic circles, counting Maxfield Parrish, Jessie Wilcox Smith and Arthur Quiller-Couch amongst his friends. They met the Grahames' at Fowey in 1907, "while the Grahame's were at Fowey in May and June 1907, they made the acquaintance of an American family also on holiday there - Mr and Mrs Austin Purves of Philadelphia, and their five sons. Kenneth actually stood godfather to Pierre, the youngest, at his Fowey christening. Grahame and Austin Purves continued to correspond regularly until the latter's death in 1915." - Peter Green (Kenneth Grahame A Study of His Life, Work and Times) Purves sought to help Grahame by writing a favourable review of the American edition Wind in the Willows for an American magazine. In a letter to Purves of November 1908, Grahame wrote, "I'm most awfully obliged to you for the solid work you are putting in on behalf of 'the W. in the W.' Your review was perfectly charming, & is bound to be most helpful. That the book has given you all personal pleasure is of course very good for me to think of." Presentation copies of The Wind in the Willows are decidedly rare.

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. First Edition, First Printing SIGNED BY Kenneth Grahame on a laid in signature. A wonderful copy. The book is bound in the publisher's ORIGINAL blue cloth and is in great shape. The binding is tight with NO cocking or leaning with minor wear to the boards. The pages are clean with NO writing, marks or bookplates in the book. A superb copy SIGNED by the author. We buy Kenneth Grahame First Editions. Signed by Author(s).