Bidspirit auction | The Diary of Anne Frank

The Diary of Anne Frank - First American Edition, with the Rare Promotional Prospectus Issued by the Book Find Club upon the Book's Publication - The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank - First American edition, published by Doubleday & Company, New York, 1952 - accompanied by the rare promotional prospectus issued by the Book Find Club upon the book's publication, featuring a selection of favorable reviews, headed by the remarks of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, whose enthusiastic comments on the diary were also printed in the book itself. The Diary of a Young Girl - First American edition, early printing (without the words ”First Edition, ” which appeared on the first printing). The first American edition of The Diary of Anne Frank was published in New York in 1952 by Doubleday & Company (approximately five years after the Dutch edition). 285 pages. Hardcover with the original dust jacket, complete. Very good condition. A promotional prospectus issued by the American Book Find Club (Issue No. 125, edited by George Braziller), published in New York in 1952 to promote and accompany the release of the first American edition of Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl. Printed in the format of a mini-magazine in a distinctive reddish-brown color, the prospectus is an important bibliographical and historical document, as it records in real time the extraordinary cultural and literary reception of the diary upon its arrival before the American public. Today, it is considered even rarer than the book itself. The front cover features the iconic portrait of the young Anne Frank, alongside the headline describing the book as ”An Extraordinary Document” and stating that ”Reading this book is a rich and rewarding experience.” The interior presents a comprehensive survey incorporating the foremost literary and cultural figures of the period. The opening pages feature, in large bold type, a quotation from the celebrated foreword by former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, in which she describes the diary as ”This is a remarkable book... one of the wisest and most moving commentaries on war and its impact on human beings that I have ever read.” Alongside Roosevelt's remarks appears an extensive and detailed literary essay by the Jewish-American novelist and playwright Meyer Levin, one of the first to recognize the diary's iconic significance and to champion its publication in the United States. Levin describes the book as an intimate experience and a perfect human drama, recounting Anne's story from receiving the diary as a gift for her thirteenth birthday to her years in hiding in the ”Secret Annex” in Amsterdam. The prospectus continues with an impressive collection of newspaper excerpts and enthusiastic reviews from the leading newspapers of the day, including The New York Times, the New York Herald Tribune, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and the Baltimore Sun, together with a special column by the renowned columnist Max Lerner. The reviews praise Anne's phenomenal maturity, her keen insight into human relationships, and the fact that the diary stands as a celebration of life that triumphs over the horrors of genocide. Alongside the text appears a photograph of the façade of the original office building in Amsterdam where the Frank family remained in hiding between 1942 and 1944. The prospectus concludes with a catalog of additional ”Selected Available Books” offered by the club to its members at the time, including works by Albert Einstein, Jean-Paul Sartre, Oscar Handlin (winner of the 1952 Pulitzer Prize), and Margaret Mead. 8 pages. 25 cm. Good condition. In 1952, under the title Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, one of the most influential books of the twentieth century was published in the United States. The first American edition, issued by Doubleday & Company, became overnight a landmark human document that transformed the way the world perceived the horrors of the Holocaust. The book's American debut was accompanied by tremendous public acclaim, largely owing to the celebrated foreword written by former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.