The First Picture Book: Everyday Things for Babies

67 pages with black and white photographs . Square Octavo (8 1/2' x 7 1/4") bound in original publisher's quarter grey loth with silver lettering to spine over white boards lettered in silver in original pictorial jacket. First published in 1930. The First Picture Book: Everyday Things for Babies is a landmark 1930 children's book conceived and prepared by Mary Steichen Calderone (published under her married name at the time, Mary Steichen Martin) featuring 24 exquisite photographs by her father, the legendary photographer Edward Steichen. At the time, Mary Steichen Calderone was a leader in the progressive school movement. She designed the book specifically to aid infants and toddlers in recognizing, naming, and connecting with familiar objects from their daily environments. It stands as one of the very first children's picture books to be illustrated entirely with photographs, breaking away from traditional drawings and fairy-tale illustrations of the era. Edward Steichen’s images focused on beautiful, clean, and unadorned close-ups of simple objects—such as a glass of milk, a slice of bread, a teddy bear, keys, and shoes. These are widely considered some of his most appealing yet lesser-known works. Though it was out of print for decades, the book's artistic and historical value led to a celebrated reissue in 1991 by the Library Fellows of the Whitney Museum of American Art. This special edition—and subsequent trade editions published by Fotofolio—preserved the original photographs and preface while adding an afterword by renowned author John Updike. Condition. Corners gently bumped with some edge wear. Jacket with some edge wear else very good in like jacket.…