Madeline’s Rescue

New York: The Viking Press, 1953. First edition of the second of Ludwig Bemelmans’s exuberant Madeline books, signed “Ludwig” by Bemelmans. After being pulled from the Seine by a stray dog, Madeline and her fellow schoolgirls adopt her as a pet, only to see their beloved Genevieve banished by the school trustees: “Miss Genevieve, noblest dog in France, / You shall have your VEN-GE-ANCE!” Bemelmans’s detailed illustrations introduced generations of American children to the landmarks of Paris: in this volume, he depicts the Institut de France, the Eiffel Tower, the Ile de la Cité, Notre-Dame, the Pont Neuf, Sacré-Coeur, Les Halles, Saint Germain des Près, Père Lachaise, and the Tuileries. Madeline’s Rescue would win the Caldecott Medal for 1954. A very good signed copy. Single volume, measuring 12 x 9 inches: 56. Original red cloth pictorial boards stamped in black, color pictorial endpapers, original unclipped color pictorial dust jacket priced at $3.00. Color illustrations throughout text. Signed by Ludwig Bemelmans on half-title. Corners lightly bumped, small circular abrasion to lower board. Light edgewear and chipping to jacket spine ends, evidence of label removal to front jacket panel. (Inventory #: 1003891)