Montgomery Ward 1939
Illustrated by Denver Gillen
Approx. size - 10.5 by 7.5 inch -- unpaginated

The little red-nosed reindeer dreamed up by Bob May and immortalized in song by Johnny Marks has come to symbolize Christmas as much as Santa Claus, evergreen trees and presents.

May wrote the story of Rudolph in 1939 as a Christmas sales promotion for Montgomery Wards, where he was a copyrighter. He turned the story into a poem and then a composer friend, Johnny Marks, created the famous children's song which Gene Autry recorded in 1949. The story sold 2.4 million copies in 1939 alone. May left Wards in 1951 and lived for seven years off his royalties. He returned to Wards in 1958 and worked as a copywriter until his retirement in 1970.

Rudolph first appeared in a 1939 booklet written by May and published by Montgomery Ward, the department store. This is an original first in print softcover. Very scarce.

Wonderful condition with only some slight bumped corners. Minor handling wear to covers. The original owners hand written name on first page. No other writings. Pages clean and clear with only a slight toning due to age.
A wonderful addition to any library and a special treat for anyone who loves the story and Christmas.

Please see photos, enlarge and email with any questions. Thanks for looking.

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