Adventures of Benjamin F. Bear

New York: Lord & Taylor. Wraps. Very Good. N.d., circa early to mid-1940s. (Reference to Office of Price Administration, which existed between 1941 and 1947, and references to "Admiral Byrd Cloth", among other things, suggest the earlier part of this period.) 30 by 14 cm. Unpaginated, 24 pp. including wrap covers. Scarce, with no copies appearing on OCLC FirstServe. Loosely strung story about a cute cub who decides not to hibernate so that he can find out what autumn and winter are like in New York City, and all the fun he has as a result. On the rectos is narrated the story, while on the facing versos junior fashion items are illustrated and described, (truncated) with the descriptions sometimes making allusion to the accompanying story. This was from a time when children in the city were dressed up in city clothes like miniature adults, and even play clothes, in which children could be children, had a certain flair that has largely vanished from our fashion scene. The illustration of both the children's fashion and the bear story are done in what can only be described as the breezy Lord & Taylor signature style, which was a perfect expression of the upscale department specialty store's image of comfortable elegance. At the time, this look was new, introduced by retail legend Dorothy Shaver, the first female president of a major retail chain. The story of the bear is not to be confused with a more recent, somewhat similar story with almost the same title. The story here may not be anyone's idea of sublime juvenile fiction -- it was probably written by a member of the store's marketing staff or its advertising agency -- but it does capture a moment in our culture very well indeed. Corner chips on the wraps. Darkening of the cover. Generally clean within. (Inventory #: 004272)