The Little Engine That Could.

PIPY, Walter; Illustrated by Lois Lenski.

Item Number: 17015

New York: The Platt & Munk Co, 1930.

First edition, later state. Octavo, original illustrated boards. Name on the half title page, near fine in a very good dust jacket with some rubbing and a name on the front flap and a chip to the front panel. Uncommon in the original dust jacket.

The best known incarnation of The Little Engine That Could was written by "Watty Piper", a pen name of Arnold Munk, who was the owner of the publishing firm Platt & Munk. Arnold Munk was born in Hungary, and as a child, moved with his family to the United States, settling in Chicago. Munk used the name Watty Piper as both an author of children's books and as the editor of many of the books that Platt & Munk published. He personally hired Lois Lenski to illustrate the book. The National Education Association named it one of its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children"