Like The Down of A Thistle

Like the Down of a Thistle: A Christmas Story

Corydon Bell | Privately Printed by The Tower Press, Cleveland | 1948

A charming and scarce privately printed Christmas book, Like the Down of a Thistle was written, designed, and illustrated by Corydon Bell and produced by The Tower Press in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1948.

The colophon specifically states that “a limited number of copies were made for distribution during this Christmas season.” The actual number printed is not stated, making the size of the edition unknown. Unlike a conventional trade publication, this attractive little volume was created for private Christmas distribution and appears only infrequently on the secondary market.

This copy is particularly appealing as a presentation copy from Corydon Bell and his wife, Thelma, inscribed on the front free endpaper with Christmas wishes to the original recipients and signed “Thelma and Corydon Bell.”

Beautifully produced on textured paper, the book features Bell's own illustrations and decorative blue borders, with the text set in Bookman type.

Condition: Very Good+ overall. The burgundy cloth binding remains remarkably clean and well preserved, with only minor age and handling wear. The original printed cover label is complete and attractive with a few small age spots. The binding is firm, and the interior is exceptionally clean and bright, with crisp printing and illustrations and only minimal signs of age.