Published by Söderström & Co, Helsinki, 1946. Softcover. Original first printing of Kometjakten — the first full-length novel in the Moomin series by Tove Jansson, published in English as Comet in Moominland (Ernest Benn, 1951). Bound with pictorial wrappers, pp. 179, untrimmed edges. Illustrated with line drawings and reproductions of the author’s original watercolours — artwork that was subsequently re-worked in ink for all later editions.
A note on the text: Kometjakten underwent substantial revision during Jansson’s lifetime, with scenes deleted and changes made to the temperament and personalities of several characters. Most modern editions are translations of the final revised Swedish text, Kometen kommer (1968). This first edition therefore preserves the story in its original, unrevised form — of considerable interest to scholars and serious collectors of the series.
Condition: Very Good. A remarkably clean copy, entirely free from spotting, staining, water damage, scribbles, or ownership inscriptions. Reading creases to the spine and intermittent leaf creasing — a read, not an unread, copy. Text block toned commensurate with age; lightly tanned at the prelims, endpapers, and wrappers. Binding still fairly tight and square. Splitting to the wrapper corners and at the foot of the spine, with no discernible loss of paper. A tidy, presentable copy of a genuinely rare book.
