The Biggest Bear

Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1952. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. Signed by Author(s). First edition, signed by Lynd Ward on blank preliminary page (tipped-in), price of $2.75 present on front flap, date on title page, 4to, 85 pages, alternating pages of text and illustrations throughout; spine ends a touch pushed, dust jacket edge worn with a couple of tiny tears at top edge and one half inch chip out at head of spine, gold award sticker on front cover. This was Lynd Ward's first book as both author and illustrator, and it earned him the 1953 Caldecott Medal. With scant text, the pictures tell most of the story, and tell it well. Ward created the illustrations with casein paint, an ancient milk based medium, and the resulting images are soft and inky, and richly detailed. The book represents long-standing relationships between people and animals on many levels, while painting a picture of a beautiful friendship.