1999 Rare 36th impression - The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and Alex Scheffler
An attractive large-format hardcover 1999 edition of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s modern children’s classic, vividly illustrated throughout and preserved in very good condition.
Author: Julia Donaldson. Illustrated by Axel Scheffler.
Title: The Gruffalo.
Publisher: London: Macmillan Children’s Books, 1999.
Edition: Early 36th Impression of the First UK Edition, originally published in 1999. ISBN 978-0-333-71092-0.
Language: English.
Pages: Unpaginated.
Size: 11 x 8.5 inches.
Binding: Very good original publisher’s laminated pictorial hardcover binding, beautifully illustrated by Axel Scheffler with the Gruffalo and Mouse on the front board and a continuous woodland design extending across the spine and rear board. Only light signs of handling and shelf wear, as shown. Protected in a removable mylar cover.
Content: Very good content, bright, clean and well preserved throughout, with firm hinges and vivid illustrations. No significant faults noted.
Illustrations: Profusely illustrated in colour throughout by Axel Scheffler, including pictorial endpapers and numerous full-page and double-page woodland scenes featuring Mouse, Fox, Owl, Snake and the Gruffalo.
Estimate: $200–250 USD.
The book:
First published in 1999, The Gruffalo follows a small mouse walking through the “deep dark wood,” where a succession of predators attempt to lure him into becoming their meal. The mouse protects himself by inventing a terrifying creature called the Gruffalo, only to discover that the creature he imagined actually exists. Through quick thinking, the little mouse turns the situation to his advantage.
Donaldson’s rhythmic, repetitive text combined with Scheffler’s immediately recognizable illustrations made The Gruffalo one of the defining picture books of its generation. The story has since become an international children’s classic, adapted for stage and animation and translated into numerous languages.
The author:
Julia Donaldson (born 1948) is a British children’s author, playwright and former Children’s Laureate. She is particularly celebrated for her rhyming picture books, many created in collaboration with Axel Scheffler, including Room on the Broom, Stick Man and The Snail and the Whale. The Gruffalo remains her best-known work and has become one of the most successful British picture books of the modern era.
The illustrator:
Axel Scheffler (born 1957) is a German-born illustrator based in Britain, internationally known for his distinctive, expressive characters and richly detailed picture-book landscapes. His long collaboration with Julia Donaldson has produced some of the most recognizable children’s books of the past several decades, with his depiction of the Gruffalo becoming especially iconic.