Original sales sample for the third Pooh Book, bound like the first edition, but with most of the leaves blank, used as a tool to sell the book in advance of publication.
Very good.
Price: $1,000.00
"Only a small part of the text and illustrations was included, enough to encourage interest in the prospective publisher." — Oxford Companion to the Book definition for publisher's dummy
Dummies were commonly created by publishers in the 19th and early 20th century to drum up advance sales for books that had not yet come out. In the 19th century, they were the popular tool of door-to-door salespeople; in the 20th century, publishers used them to assist in selling a title to bookshops before issue. Never officially "published" in this form and inherently ephemeral in purpose, they are often much scarcer than the first edition and actively sought by collectors and scholars interested in the history of marketing, book selling, and book production. This dummy for NOW WE ARE SIX contains the headers for preliminary pages, a partial Contents page, and a short sample of the text (including Shepard's in-text illustrations); the remainder of the book is blank. The dummies for the Pooh Books are quite rare.
Read more: Entry, "dummy, publishers," in Suarez and Woudhuysen (eds.), Oxford Companion to the Book.
London: Methuen, (1927). 7.25'' x 4.75''. Original maroon cloth, gilt-lettered spine, gilt-stamped vignettes on boards. Top edge gilt, other edges uncut. xvi, 23 pages followed by [71] blank pages. Light toning and discoloration to spine, with minute evidence of repair. Offsetting to endpapers, light foxing to text block edges. Hinges firm.
We work hard to meet our ethical responsibility to describe our material accurately. All items are guaranteed as described and may be returned for any reason within 30 days. Please notify us before mailing a return.
We guarantee the authenticity of our items. All materials are original (meaning not facsimiles or reproductions) unless otherwise noted. First editions (meaning first edition, first printing) are explicitly stated. TPM is a member of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America and upholds their Code of Ethics.
All photographs are of the actual item for sale. We're happy to provide additional images on request.
All domestic orders ship gratis. For orders under $250, free USPS media mail shipping is included; orders $250 and over ship USPS Ground Advantage. International orders over $1000 also ship gratis. Expedited, overnight, as well as other carriers (UPS, Fed-Ex, etc.), may carry additional costs beyond quoted rates. All orders receive tracking information and a direct contact in case of any questions.
International buyers are responsible for any customs, taxes, and related import fees. Please note that we are unable to accomodate requests to misrepresent, misdeclare, or otherwise falsify customs documents when shipping internationally. We appreciate your understanding.
We accept all major credit cards, Paypal, Venmo, check, money order, and bank wire. We are happy to bill institutional buyers' needs. Sales tax will be added to applicable purchases. Items subject to prior sale.
If for any reason you are dissatisfied with your purchase, please contact us. We prioritize our long-term relationships far above any individual purchase, and we want you to love your item as much as we loved cataloguing it.
