THE CAT WHO WENT TO HEAVEN

New York: Macmillan, 1930. First edition. Near fine in very good dust jacket.. First printing of the winner of the 1931 Newbery Medal winner, an example of Lynd Ward's more delicate brush illustrations. THE CAT WHO WENT TO HEAVEN is framed as a Japanese Buddhist folktale, and follows a down-on-his-luck painter who gains a new lease on life when his cook adopts a calico cat. Lynd Ward's illustrations for this story are a departure from his more well-known woodcuts, and mimic the ukiyo-e style in which the painter character executes his masterpiece. This is a lovely copy in the scarce jacket. 9.25'' x 8''. Original red cloth. Original unclipped ($2.00) pictorial dust jacket. Illustrations in black and white. 58 pages. Jacket with light toning, a tiny bit of chipping to corners and spine ends; two small tape repairs to verso. Binding with a little bumping to spine ends, a touch of shelfwear. Occasional finger soiling to margins of leaves. Tight.