ANNO'S JOURNEY. [A wordless picture book.]

UK,slim Qrto HB,no dw/dj(if issued?),2nd imp,1st reprint edn. [Originally published and bound in Japan as 'My Journey', 1977. First published in Great Britain in 1978 as ANNO'S JOURNEY'.This 2nd impression edn reprinted in 1980. ] NFINE. No owner inscrptn and no price removal from rear board.Bright,crisp,clean,sharp-cornered,wrap-around,glossy,colour pictorial artwork by ANNO MITSUMASA,illustrated paper-covered boards with capitalised,black-lettered title within a corner's truncated green rectangular panel with two white line,internal borders,to upper board; spine/backstrip with similarly coloured+lettered title as the front's, black-lettered author name and publisher's capitalised,black-lettered initialled colophon to foot of same,rear board with continuation of illustration. Negligible shelf-wear to edges and corners - no nicks, tears or splits present; very,very minimal and superficial scoring/indents to either board - surprising in a book of this 40+ year-old age - and in a superb condition.Top+fore-edges clean without any foxing/spotting; contents bright,tight,clean,solid and sound - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corner tips - appears unread other than my own collation.UK,slim Qrto HB (approx. 10" tall by 9" wide),no dw/d,as issued?,2nd imp,1st reprint edn,48pp [unpaginated and excludes free endpapers] includes repeated truncated corner's green rectangular but with two black lined internal borders black-lettered title and author's capitalised,black-lettered name within,title page,an oval,colour vignette illustrated following preliminary page,21 double-page colour illustrations by Mitsumasa without text,the reverse of the last double-page illustration with repeated colour vignette illustration as the earlier mentioned preliminary page, and last page with text and explanation of artists travel,work and inspiration etc and clues for things to look out for in the journey. Visually the exterior appearance is exceptional and particularly internally,is also in an exceptional condition/state of preservation and presentation for a book of its 40+ year-old age and nature, i.e a children's book.It really is an exceptional,exemplary example for its cleanliness,brightness and lack of detracting faults. Wordless picture books are told entirely through their illustrations - they are books without words,or sometimes just a few words.Sharing wordless books with a child provides an opportunity for literacy. The illustrations include details from paintings by Courbet,Millet,Renoir,Seurat and other; all sorts of children's games; an escaping prisoner; some characters from Sesame Street,from The Pied Piper of Hamelin,The Emperor's New Clothes,Red Riding Hood, Pinocchio,Don Quixote and other beloved stories; a romantic tale,continued on several pages,of love and retribution; a race; Beethoven sitting at a window; an emptying bottle on a shop sign,to mention just a few. Anno Mitsumasa [b. 20th March,1926 – d. 24th December 2020] was a Japanese illustrator and writer of children's books, known best for his picture books with few or no words. He received the international Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 1984 for his "lasting contribution to children's literature." In the "Journey" books, a tiny character travels through a nation's landscape,densely populated with pictures referencing that country's art, literature, culture, and history.Anno's illustrations are often in pen and ink and watercolour, occasionally incorporating collage and woodcuts.They are intricately detailed,showing a sense of humour as well as an interest in science,mathematics,and foreign cultures.They frequently incorporate subtle jokes and references. Please contact seller,for correct shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas customers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! N.B. ALL buyers please note,stocks' actual shipping/P+p costs are adjusted and any difference is refunded,after order's receipt and before the order's despatch,especially if the item(s) are offered either P+p included/FREE. ** N.B. US/Canada customers please be aware: Standard AIRMAIL postage from UK to these destinations can now cost more than the price of the book! If speed is not of the essence,then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. anything from a 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard US AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always. **