Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks - Overview
A series of articles to select the Top 100 Collectible Children’s Picturebooks, providing the rationale for each book’s inclusion, with an objective of providing readers with the context for valuing first editions within the genre.
Within the hobby value is a combination of scarcity and collectibility: very scarce and very desirable lead to very valuable. Scarcity is a function of the number of copies in the first printings and the subsequent attrition over time due to natural causes. Collectibility is more elusive, outlined heretofore as a complex intermingling of eight rated factors.
The Late Great Debatable Eight
In the previous articles I've selected ninety-two of the Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks. Today, the last eight books are selected. As expected, there has been a lot of internal strife concerning each of the eight, what with so many other books to select from, therefore this group of books is affectionately referred to as the Late Great Debatable Eight.
The following chart provides a single line summary of the rationale for the book’s selection, along with the estimated market price. The market price is for the first edition book with the corresponding first edition dust jacket, both in Very Good or VG+ condition. The list is sorted in chronological order.
The value of several of the 'Late Great Debatable Eight' is higher than many of the books previously selected. To reiterate, value was not the penultimate attribute for a book's inclusion in the Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks.
Since the selection of each of these was so contentious, I'll provide some commentary on each book:
- Danny And The Dinosaur (1958) is one of Harper & Brothers first books in the 'I Can Read' series, published a year after the Sendak/Minarik's Little Bear. Syd Hoff wrote and illustrated a number of the early 'I Can Read' books, including Julius (1959), Sammy The Seal (1959), Oliver (1960), Stanley (1960), Albert The Albatross (1961), Chester The Horse (1961), and Little Chief (1961), each of which was published prior to Harper & Brothers 1962 merger with Peterson
Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks - Overview
A series of articles to select the Top 100 Collectible Children’s Picturebooks, providing the rationale for each book’s inclusion, with an objective of providing readers with the context for valuing first editions within the genre.
Within the hobby value is a combination of scarcity and collectibility: very scarce and very desirable lead to very valuable. Scarcity is a function of the number of copies in the first printings and the subsequent attrition over time due to natural causes. Collectibility is more elusive, outlined heretofore as a complex intermingling of eight rated factors.
Almost Nearly No Brainers
In the previous articles I've selected nearly seventy of the Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks. The first group of books selected was the Marquis 25, landmarks within the genre, so called 'No Brainers' since they would be on nearly everyone's list of classic American picturebooks. Subsequently, a group of 'Nearly No Brainers' was selected, a description that is self-defining.
Another logical step in the process is selecting the books that almost made the group of 'nearly no brainers', which, much to the readers surprise, is fittingly called the 'Almost Nearly No Brainers'.
The 'Almost Nearly No Brainers' have many of the qualities of No Brainers and the Nearly No Brainers, however by comparison, did not have all their brethren's credentials.
The following chart provides a single line summary of the rationale for the book’s selection, along with the estimated market price. The market price is for the first edition book with the corresponding first edition dust jacket, both in Very Good or VG+ condition. The list is sorted in chronological order.
The value of several of the 'Almost Nearly No Brainers' is higher than many of the books previously selected. To reiterate, value was not the penultimate attribute for a book's inclusion in the Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks.
Some comments on specific books:
- Wanda Gag's The Funny Thing (1929) was the follow-up book to Millions of Cats (1928), and was very similar in form and format with dynamic double page spreads, black and white, and handwritten te
Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks - Overview
A series of articles to select the Top 100 Collectible Children’s Picturebooks, providing the rationale for each book’s inclusion, with an objective of providing readers with the context for valuing first editions within the genre.
Within the hobby value is a combination of scarcity and collectibility: very scarce and very desirable lead to very valuable. Scarcity is a function of the number of copies in the first printings and the subsequent attrition over time due to natural causes. Collectibility is more elusive, outlined heretofore as a complex intermingling of eight rated factors.
Key Caldecott Medal Winners
In the previous two articles the Marquis 25 and Nearly No-Brainers were selected, accounting for nearly one-half of the Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks. While the selections included several Caldecott Medal books, the award itself was not the crucial ingredient - other factors contributed to the book's inclusion. Given the weighty importance of the Caldecott Medal within the collectible picturebook genre, a low risk strategy is to add key Caldecott Medal books to the Top 100 list.
Some might have started their list of Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks with the complete list of the seventy-odd Caldecott Medal winners, then supplemented the list with other key picturebooks. Undeniably this is a viable strategy. I’ve taken another tact, building most of the list without the first edition Caldecott books as the centerpiece. It will be interesting to see the Caldecott's impact once the entire list is completed.
I've selected twelve key Caldecott Medal books to add to the Top 100.
In most instances the books won the only Caldecott Medal award for a commercially successful children's book illustrator. The selections are a mix of illustrators who won the award at the dawn of their career, and illustrators who won the award toward the dusk of their career. For the former, it begs the question: Was winning the reason for their subsequent success? For the latter: Was their prior success the reason for winning? Consider these questions while reviewing the list.
The following provides a single line summary of the rationale for the book’s selection, along with the estimated market price. The market price is for the first edition book with the corresponding first edition dust jacket, both in Very Good or VG+ condition. The list is sorted in chronological order.
Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks - Overview
A series of articles to select the Top 100 Collectible Children’s Picturebooks, providing the rationale for each book’s inclusion, with an objective of providing readers with the context for valuing first editions within the genre.
Within the hobby value is a combination of scarcity and collectibility: very scarce and very desirable lead to very valuable. Scarcity is a function of the number of copies in the first printings and the subsequent attrition over time due to natural causes. Collectibility is more elusive, outlined heretofore as a complex intermingling of eight rated factors.
Nearly No Brainers
In the previous article the Marquis 25 was selected, the top 25 collectible American picturebooks. Looking back at the list, although some readers might argue whether a book or two belongs in their personal top 25 list, few would quibble with any of the Marquis 25’s inclusion in the Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks. With the end game in mind, this is good first step: 25 books named, 75 more to go.
The next logical step is selecting the books that almost made the Marquis 25.
I’ve labeled this next set the 'Nearly No Brainers' an homage to their proximity to greatness. The 'Nearly No Brainers' have many of the qualities of Marquis 25, however by comparison, did not have all the necessary credentials.
The following chart provides a single line summary of the rationale for the book’s selection, along with the estimated market price. The market price is for the first edition book with the corresponding first edition dust jacket, both in Very Good or VG+ condition. The list is sorted in chronological order.
The value of several of the 'Nearly No Brainers' is higher than several of the Marquis 25. To reiterate, value was not the penultimate attribute for selection in the Marquis 25 or the Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks.
Some comments on specific books:
- Angus And The Ducks (1930) was the first of five books in the Angus series, written and illustrated by Marjorie Flack. Flack al
