B A U M A N R A R E B O O K S G E N R E F I C T I O N * 2 0 2 3 AN UNPARALLELED AND UNIQUE COPY OF THE FIRST EDITION OF BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA, SIGNED BY KATHERINE PATERSON AND WITH MORE THAN 35 LENGTHY ANNOTATIONS 24. PATERSON, Katherine. Bridge to Terabithia. New York, 1977. Octavo, original navy cloth, dust jacket. Housed in a custom clamshell box. $12,000 Most exceptional first edition of the quintessential children’s book about loss, signed by Katherine Paterson and specially annotated by her with over 1300 handwritten words describing the writing process and her experiences after publication, all intended to bolster this copy’s value for a Christie’s auction to benefit the PEN/American Center. “Jess and Leslie, whose parents have moved from the suburbs because they’re ‘reassessing their value structure,’ become close friends. On her lead they create Terabithia, a secret magic kingdom in the woods, and there in the castle stronghold she tells him wonderful stories… about a gloomy prince of Denmark, or a crazy sea captain bent on killing a whale. She lends him her Narnia books and lectures him on endangered predators… but he teaches her compassion for a mean older girl at school. Indeed Leslie has brought enchantment into his life. Then one morning, with the creek they must swing over to reach Terabithia dangerously swollen by rain, and Jess torn between his fear of the maneuver and his reluctance to admit it, he is saved by an invitation to visit the National Gallery with his lovely music teacher. The day is perfect—but while he is gone Leslie is killed, swinging into Terabithia on their old frayed rope. Jess’ feelings range from numb denial to rage to guilt to desolation (at one point the thought occurs that ‘I am now the fastest runner in the fifth grade’)—typical grief reactions, but newly wrenching as Jess is no representative bibliotherapeutic model. By the end, he is ready to think about giving back to the world something of what he had received from Leslie. You’ll remember her too” (Kirkus). This copy was specially annotated by Katherine Paterson for an auction at Christie’s intended to benefit the PEN/ American Center. Here, she has added more than 35 annotations totaling more than 1300 words providing deep insight into Paterson’s ideas and intentions as the author of this work. Paterson has also added photographic images of her son, David, and his friend, Lisa, on whom the novel’s protagonists were based. David also wrote the screenplay for the 2007 film adaptation. This work also includes a copy of an excerpt from David’s childhood journal discussing the pain of being admired for being a character in the book given that the highly traumatic death of his best friend, Lisa, was the book’s inspiration. Illustrated by Donna Diamond. Book about-fine, price-clipped dust jacket nearfine with light rubbing and toning to extremities. An unparalleled copy, signed and heavily annotated by Katherine Paterson. 24
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