THE BUTTERFLIES COME
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1957. Hardcover. Later printing. Inscribed and dated, with an original watercolor rendering of a butterfly, by Leo Politi on the front flyleaf. Two children living on the Monterey peninsula in California witness the annual migration of Monarch butterflies to the region and learn about the butterflies' life cycle in this gentle and lyrical narrative. Born in Fresno, California, Politi (1908-96) spent his developmental years studying art at the Institute of Monza in Milan, Italy. Returning to California in 1928, he settled near Olvera Street in Los Angeles and began writing and drawing in earnest, winning a Caldecott Award for his Song of the Swallows (1949). Small quarto. Original yellow cloth binding, with butterflies in flight stamped in orange and black on the front and rear panels, and black-stamped titling. The dust jacket is lightly edgeworn, with a minor stain to the rear panel; otherwise very good. Very good / Very good. Item #80700
Price: $150.00