MOSER’S BRER RABBIT

Harris, Joel Chandler (1848–1908), adapted by Van Dyke Parks and Malcolm Jones

MOSER’S BRER RABBIT [Signed First Edition] [Annotated Production Copy] [Proof Archive]

San Diego, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich:, 1986–1987.
FROM FIRST EDITION TO PROOF SHEET — THE MAKING OF MOSER’S BRER RABBIT.

A cohesive Barry Moser Brer Rabbit production grouping centered around the acclaimed illustrated reinterpretation of Joel Chandler Harris’s Brer Rabbit tales. The archive includes a signed first edition of Jump: The Adventures of Brer Rabbit, an annotated second-printing reference copy marking changes from the first edition, and signed proof and promotional material for the sequel volume Jump Again! More Adventures of Brer Rabbit.

Together the materials document the evolution, revision, and continuing publication history of one of Barry Moser’s best-known illustrated trade projects of the 1980s, blending Southern folklore, modern illustration, and contemporary reinterpretation through the involvement of Van Dyke Parks and Malcolm Jones.

The annotated second printing is especially intriguing, retaining numerous editorial-style post-it notes and comparison markings including references such as ‘This is a 2nd printing — changes from 1/e marked,’ ‘moved from front jacket,’ and related production notations. While no formal publisher documentation accompanies the volume, the language and nature of the annotations strongly suggest use as a production or editorial comparison/reference copy during preparation of the later printing.

The accompanying Jump Again! material includes signed Barry Moser proof sheets together with publisher promotional ephemera including a poster, extending the grouping beyond a single title into a broader documentation of the Brer Rabbit publishing project at Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
Group includes:
+++ Jump: The Adventures of Brer Rabbit
First Edition, First Printing, signed by Barry Moser.
+++ Annotated second printing/reference copy
Retaining original post-it notes and production-style annotations marking changes from the first edition.
+++ Jump Again! More Adventures of Brer Rabbit
Signed Barry Moser proof sheets with related promotional poster and publisher material.
Illustrated throughout by Barry Moser. Quarto and folio elements. Original publisher bindings and wraps. Various pagination and formats.

CONDITION: The signed first edition remains well preserved with only light shelf handling wear. The annotated second printing retains its original post-it notes and inserted production annotations, with expected age-related toning to adhesive materials. Proof sheets and poster remain clean and well preserved with minor handling wear consistent with production and storage use. A visually strong and unusually cohesive archive grouping.

HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT —
Joel Chandler Harris’s Brer Rabbit stories remain central — and often contested — works within American folklore studies, reflecting complicated intersections of African American oral tradition, Reconstruction-era Southern publishing, and later reinterpretation. By the 1980s, new illustrated editions such as Moser’s reflected growing efforts to revisit and visually reinterpret these stories for contemporary audiences.

Barry Moser stands among the most influential American illustrators and book artists of the late twentieth century, known for his Pennyroyal Press work, illustrated classics, and distinctive wood-engraved visual style. Material documenting his production process remains considerably less common than standard signed trade editions.

Barry Moser’s illustrated Brer Rabbit books occupy an unusual place in late twentieth-century American book illustration. Rather than presenting the Harris material as nostalgic Americana, these editions reflect a consciously modern reinterpretation shaped equally by folklore, visual storytelling, and the evolving cultural conversation surrounding the Brer Rabbit tradition itself.

Moser’s illustrations present the tales with dramatic line work, expressive movement, and a strong visual rhythm rooted in both wood engraving traditions and contemporary trade illustration. The involvement of Van Dyke Parks further situates the project within a broader Southern cultural and musical context, connecting the books to reinterpretive approaches emerging during the 1980s.

The annotated second printing offers an unusual glimpse into publishing process and revision culture. The surviving notes appear to track textual and jacket changes between the first and later printing, transforming an otherwise ordinary later issue into a working document of editorial comparison and production adjustment.

Taken together, the group captures not only the finished books but also part of the creative and commercial process behind their publication.

SUBJECTS: Barry Moser, Brer Rabbit, Joel Chandler Harris, Van Dyke Parks, Illustrated Books, Publishing Archives, Proof Material, American Illustration, Southern Folklore, Children’s Books, Editorial Process, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Illustrated Americana, Book Arts, Publishing History, Children’s Literature, Southern Folklore

SCARCITY NOTE: While signed Barry Moser trade editions appear intermittently in the marketplace, production-associated material tied to the Brer Rabbit project is uncommon. Annotated comparison/reference copies with internal-style revision notes appear rarely in the trade, particularly when accompanied by signed proof material and promotional ephemera connected to related volumes in the series.

Item #22013

Price: $525.00