The Yearling [1938]

The year 1938 gave us the invention of teflon and the birth of Christopher “Doc” Lloyd. It was also the year that Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings published The Yearling, the story of a young boy growing up in rural Florida. The book became wildly popular and was the best-selling novel in America that year. In 1939, The Yearling won the Pulitzer Prize.

The Yearling is a touching, suspenseful, and realistic story about a boy caught between love for his pet and responsibility to his family. The novel follows a year in the life of this playful and sensitive boy — a year filled with adventure and danger, loss and loneliness.

This first edition copy has some water damage which can be seen in the pictures below. The dust jacket is a beautiful yellow colour, and every chapter opens with an illustration. This book is visually striking at roughly 22cm by 16cm.