How To Become A Witch In Ten Easy

Fantasy Children’s Books Classics

How to Become a Witch in Ten Easy Lessons, the 1943 first-edition fantasy novel by Mary Norton, sprinkles wartime London with just enough magic to delight collectors of vintage children’s literature. This hardcover, issued by The Hyperion Press New York and lushly illustrated by Waldo Peirce, is the literary precursor to the beloved film Bedknobs and Broomsticks.

The story follows three evacuated siblings who discover their guardian is learning witchcraft through a crash-course correspondence school; what unfolds is a rollicking tale of flying beds, necromantic armies, and British pluck. Norton’s breezy prose and Peirce’s whimsical drawings keep the enchantment light and page-turning for middle-grade readers and nostalgic adults alike.

This original 1943 printing shows gentle evidence of its age: the pictorial boards carry minor edge scuffs and small spine nicks, while one interior page bears a light smudge. Despite these touches, the binding remains firm and every illustration crisp, making the copy presentable on shelf or display.

A charming find for enthusiasts of early Norton, Depression-era fantasy, or Disney source material, this first-edition How to Become a Witch in Ten Easy Lessons offers both reading pleasure and collectible cachet without the premium of a pristine price tag.