Seven Lady Godivas, The
New York: Random House, 1939. Item #06298
First Edition, First Printing of Dr. Seuss’s 'The Seven Lady Godivas'
SEUSS, Dr. The Seven Lady Godivas. Written and Illustrated by Dr. Seuss. New York: Random House, [1939].
First edition, first printing.
Quarto (10 x 7 1/4 inches; 254 x 184 mm.). [78] pp. Profusely illustrated in color throughout by Dr. Seuss.
Publisher's salmon-pink cloth, front cover with the Godiva family coat of arms stamped in brown, spine lettered in brown, color pictorial endpapers. A fine copy.
Original publisher's color pictorial dust jacket with $1.75 at top of front flap. Jacket with only the slightest chipping at head of spine and upper corner; an excellent, near fine example overall.
The Seven Lady Godivas was Dr. Seuss’s second adult-oriented book, following The Pocket Book of Boners (1931), and his only real foray into risqué humor. A bawdy, tongue-in-cheek retelling of the Godiva legend, each Lady Godiva discovers a “horse truth” to impart to the world - Seuss’s humorous way of explaining familiar proverbs. Published just before his fame as a children’s author truly took hold, the book sold poorly (reportedly fewer than 2,500 copies) and was remaindered by Random House, making it one of the scarcest of Seuss’s trade publications.
Younger & Hirsch 71.
Price: $1,100.00