THE BLACK STALLION

New York: Random House, 1941. Stated First Printing. Hardcover. Near Fine in Good Dustjacket. Keith Ward. The Black Stallion is in its own special corral at the pinnacle of beloved children's stories. This timeless novel for young-or-not-so-young- adults remains a shimmering electric-black archetype in the center of the field, long after others horse tales have faded from memory. Author Walter Farley's initial tale of a boy (Alec Ramsay) and a spirited horse surviving a shipwreck on an island in Africa eventually inspired more than thirty additional horse tales.

Octavo. Stated First Printing. Beige boards with black horse-head profile to front board, and black lettering with red stripes to spine. This is a spectacular copy, nearly fine but for the top corners of two leaves (pp. 101/102, and 103/104 which were bent over by a reader in need of a bookmark). Just the slightest bit of discoloration to bottom and top edges. Corners sharp, lettering bright.

The dustjacket is generally bright with the red and white sky of front panel wrapping around to spine and a wee bit into the rear panel. Light edgewear at flaps with chipping and shelf fraying to top of dustjacket. Original price of $2.00 to top of unclipped front flap.

Overall, two dog-ears aside and a dustjacket which has performed a creditable job of protecting the eighty-plus year old book inside, a beautiful copy of an uncontested classic; if a poll were to be taken, certainly THE book that launched a thousand horse-centered careers and lives.