McKinley, Robin. THE HERO AND THE CROWN. New York: Greenwillow Books, 1984. 1st edition. With “First Edition” and number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 printed on the copyright page, which indicates that this is a 1st edition, 1st printing. The dust jacket is the correct 1st state dust jacket that does not have the Newbery Award sticker on the front panel. This is NOT a book club book. This is NOT an ex-library book.
Buyer beware: there were at least five (and maybe more) later printings of THE HERO AND THE CROWN that were published in this exact hardcover format. There may have also been a book club edition of this book that was published. This is the real deal: the true 1st edition, 1st printing.
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Robin McKinley is one of the best and most famous fantasy writers in the world. She is the author of such great and famous books as THE BLUE SWORD, THE HERO AND THE CROWN (a prequel to the great THE BLUE SWORD; offered here), ROSE DAUGHTER, ELEMENTALS: WATER (co-written with Peter Dickinson), THE STONE FEY, THE DOOR IN THE HEDGE, SUNSHINE, BEAUTY: A Retelling of the Story of the Beauty and the Beast (McKinley’s 1st book), DEERSKIN, THE OUTLAWS OF SHERWOOD, and many more.
Some of the awards and award nominations that Robin McKinley has been honored with:
1983: THE BLUE SWORD. Newbery Honor Award winner. 1983: THE BLUE SWORD. Locus Award nominee for Best Fantasy Novel. 1983: THE BLUE SWORD. Mythopoeic Award nominee for Best Fantasy Novel. 1983: THE DOOR IN THE HEDGE. Mythopoeic Award nominee for Best Fantasy Novel. 1985: THE HERO AND THE CROWN. Newbery Honor Award winner. 1985: THE HERO AND THE CROWN. Locus Award nominee for Best Fantasy Novel. 1985: THE HERO AND THE CROWN. Mythopoeic Award nominee for Best Fantasy Novel. 1986: IMAGINARY LANDS. World Fantasy Award winner for Best Anthology/Collection. 1986: IMAGINARY LANDS. Locus Award nominee for Best Anthology. 1994: DEERSKIN. James Tiptree, Jr. Memorial Award nominee for Best Novel. 1994: DEERSKIN. Locus Award nominee for Best Fantasy Novel. 1994: DEERSKIN. Mythopoeic Award nominee for Best Fantasy Novel. 1995: A KNOT IN THE GRAIN AND OTHER STORIES. Locus Award nominee for Best Collection. 1995: A KNOT IN THE GRAIN AND OTHER STORIES. Mythopoeic Award nominee for Best Fantasy Novel. 1998: BEAUTY. Phoenix Award Honor Book winner. 1998: ROSE DAUGHTER. Locus Award nominee for Best Fantasy Novel. 1998: ROSE DAUGHTER. Mythopoeic Award nominee for Best Children’s Novel. 2001: SPINDLE’S END. Locus Award nominee for Best Fantasy Novel. 2003: (co-written w/Peter Dickinson). WATER: TALES OF ELEMENTAL SPIRITS. World Fantasy Award nominee for Best Collection. 2004: SUNSHINE. Mythopoeic Fantasy Award winner for Adult Literature. 2004: SUNSHINE. Locus Award nominee for Best Fantasy Novel. 2009: CHALICE. Locus Award nominee for Best Young Adult Novel. 2014: SHADOWS. Mythopoeic Award nominee for Best Children’s Novel. Clearly Robin McKinley is one of the best, most famous, most important, and most collectible fantasy fiction writers in the world.
Clute, Grant. THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FANTASY (1997): “ . . . Robin McKinley caused a considerable stir with her first book, BEAUTY: The Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast . . . She moved into sword and sorcery with THE BLUE SWORD and its prequel, THE HERO AND THE CROWN, both of which are set in the medieval fantasyland of Damar which utilize McKinley’s knowledge and love of fairytales and legends as backbone for stories of high romance and heroic quests . . . THE HERO AND THE CROWN won the prestigious Newbery Award . . . “
Barron. FANTASY LITERATURE: A Reader’s Guide (1990): “ . . . [In] THE BLUE SWORD the heroine becomes a King’s Rider and is heir to the Blue Sword . . . She becomes a new hero of the land . . . The prequel to THE BLUE SWORD is the Newbery Medal winner THE HERO AND THE CROWN . . . Attractive characters, a finely realized setting, believable romance, and strong writing . . . “
From the dust jacket: “ . . . Robin McKinley’s mesmerizing history of Damar is the stuff that legends are made of. THE HERO AND THE CROWN is a dazzling ‘prequel’ to THE BLUE SWORD . . . Aerin is the only child of the king of Damar, and should be his rightful heir. But she is also the daughter of a witch-woman of the North, who died when she was born, and the Damarians cannot trust her . . . But Aerin’s destiny is greater than her father’s people know, for it leads her to battle with Maur, the Black Dragon, and into the wilder Damarian Hills, where she meets the wizard Luthe. It is he who at last tells her the truth about her mother, and he also gives over to her hand the Blue Sword, Gonturan. But such gifts as these bear a great price, a price Aerin only begins to realize when she faces the evil mage, Agsded, who has seized the Hero’s Crown, greatest treasure and secret strength of Damar . . . “
I grade books and dust jackets: fine, near fine, very good, good, fair, and poor. I describe all faults. If you sell books on EBAY (or anywhere else), it is de rigueur not to list 1st printings of book club books as 1st editions (unless they ARE the 1st edition, which occurs only occasionally); also, a 1st edition, 7th printing, is not a 1st edition. Ex-library books must be noted as such since generally they are of little value to the collector of 1st editions. Condition is also very important to those collectors. Books and dust jackets must be described in detail. In other words, it is incumbent upon the SELLER to know what is and is not a 1st edition. Mistakes can be made (and corrected), of course, but if you DON'T KNOW, don't try to sell a book as a 1st edition.
A NEAR FINE book in a NEAR FINE dust jacket. The book is tight and square in its cream-colored quarter-cloth and green boards binding with gilt lettering on the spine of the book. This is the correct 1st state dust jacket that does not have the Newbery Medal sticker on the front panel. There is no writing in the book; no bookplates; no remainder marks. There are no chips or tears to the dust jacket. Gorgeous dragon dust jacket artwork by David McCall Johnston. This is a very collectible copy of this important and famous Robin McKinley fantasy classic that won the Newbery Award.
I use
the EBAY shipping system to send out the majority of the books that I
sell. Insurance is included in the shipping charges for this book that
the buyer will be paying. One would assume that the buyer would want to
insure this book for its correct value.
A MUST FOR THE COLLECTOR OF IMPORTANT MODERN FANTASY 1st EDITIONS AND/OR THE COLLECTOR OF AWARD-WINNING FANTASY 1st EDITIONS AND/OR THE COLLECTOR OF ROBIN McKINLEY 1st EDITIONS!
I am continuing to list some of my best books (especially science fiction, fantasy, and horror 1st editions) on EBAY not so much as auctions (due to the fact that EBAY charges quite a bit to list items for reserve auctions), but more along the lines of listing my "catalogue" of books that I have for sale. I'm not going to "give" these books away, but my opening bids and Buy-It-Now prices are usually a fair amount below market value. Furthermore, however, for certain scarce books in great condition, I do expect to get close to what they're worth. Stay with me; I always have a number of important, collectible, cornerstone science fiction, fantasy, and horror 1st editions listed. Many thanks! All items are being offered for sale elsewhere; I reserve the right to end this listing early if this item sells elsewhere.
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OTIUM SINE LITTERIS MORS EST ET HOMINIS VIVI SEPULTURA.