Tove Jansson - Trollkarlens Hatt (Finn Family Moomintroll) - 1st Edition.

Printed in the Swedish language.

A superb example of the original first edition of the Moomins book, Trollkarlen's Hatt. Published in Helsinki by Holger Schildts Forlag in 1948.

The title was later published in English as Finn Family Moomintroll and it remains the most enduringly popular and sought-after title in the series.

1/4 cloth with illustrated upper cover, pp. 164, illustrated by the author with vignettes and full-page drawings, including the map at the title. 

At the front cover there is a small stain near the lower edge and there is further minor loss of the white background colour along the extreme board edges  but otherwise the boards are remarkably clean and free from print soiling, e.g. Some colour-fading to the backstrip.

Previous owner bookplate is fixed to the front pastedown.

At the title page there is a very well-executed ink drawing of Little My and a Hattifattener with an accompanying gift inscription...it is not the work of the author, sadly.

The text-block has tanned as usual.

Exceptionally clean contents, however, entirely free from spotting, foxing or finger-marking, a Near Fine example of this very rare book.