Little Pancho — Leo Politi — 1938 First Edition — Author’s First Book — Signed
 
A charming, well‑loved first printing of Leo Politi’s debut children’s book, signed “Sincerely Leo Politi” on the preliminary page. Published by Viking in 1938, Little Pancho tells the story of a young Mexican boy and is illustrated throughout in Politi’s distinctive orange‑and‑brown palette.
Small Sixmo size, (6 1/4" x 5") unpaginated [41 pp], color pictorial boards featuring Pancho on the front and Pancho with his dog Coco on the back. Recently restored with a new cloth spine, giving the book solid shelf presence. Boards show expected wear: bumped and rubbed corners, a few scratches, and a couple of small paint drips. Interior endpapers display toning and several old tape repairs; pages show scattered pencil and pen marks, finger smudges, and general evidence of youthful readership.
 
A scarce signed example of Politi’s first book—an increasingly hard‑to‑find cornerstone for collectors of early American picture books and Caldecott Medal winners.