Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Collector's Edition Children's Fantasy Middle-Grade Adventure British Fantasy Witchcraft & Magic Illustrated Classic Historical Fantasy
Bedknobs and Broomsticks – Mary Norton’s 1943 first-edition hardcover – is the scarce wartime precursor to the beloved Disney film, and copies in any condition are fiercely collected. This Hyperion Press printing introduces the three Wilson children, the apprentice witch Miss Price, and the enchanted bed-knob that sends them soaring across the sky and centuries on wild, self-propelled adventures. Norton’s mix of brisk humor, nail-biting escapes, and matter-of-fact magic helped define modern British fantasy and remains irresistible to readers who grew up on Nesbit or Eager.
What makes this copy especially desirable is the presence of Waldo Peirce’s lively line drawings, absent from later reprints. Peirce, better known for his murals and portraits, here captures the scrapes and scrapes of the children with a loose, energetic style that perfectly matches Norton’s breezy prose. Combined with the rarity of a true first U.S. printing in the original 1943 binding, it is the cornerstone edition for Disney enthusiasts, children’s-literature completists, and anyone hunting the definitive text behind the alternate title “How to Become a Witch in Ten Easy Lessons.”
Professionally rebound hardcover editions now list for three figures; an unrestored, fully original copy like this one—complete with the first-state dust-wrapper art—offers both investment potential and the tactile pleasure of a book that has already survived eighty years of bedtime readings. Expect light edge tears and a small cover scuff that in no way impede readability; the binding remains tight, pages are clean and bright, and the charming Peirce plates are all intact. Secure this piece of fantasy history before prices climb even higher.
Refer to our eBay listing for a full condition report and many more high-quality pictures of this item.
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