A Guide to Little Golden Books [1st Editions & Values]

[Updated 9.25]
There’s something magical about vintage Little Golden Book in your hands. Whether it was The Poky Little Puppy or Scuffy the Tugboat, they weren’t just bedtime reading—they were gateways to imagination, adventure, and comfort, now cherished as keepsakes by those of us who grew up with them.

Today, collectors prize them not only for their beloved stories but also for their colorful art, wide variety of titles, and the warm memories they bring. 

Condition, edition, and illustrator can all influence value, making them a rewarding hunt for vintage book lovers and a charming niche in the world of collectibles. Avid collector’s seek earlier editions, while those who collect simply for the love of it, enjoy any edition in decent shape.

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Bright and colorful, produced with varied enough topics and characters to please any child, LGB’s bring a smile to just about anyone’s face. I find them fairly easily at garage sales and thrift stores for a dollar or less. Over the years, I’ve learned a few tricks about how to figure out their desirability and value on the vintage and antiques market.

My Little Golden Books Video

History of Little Golden Books

Western Printing & Lithography Company, in conjunction with Simon & Schuster, published the very first Little Golden Books (LGB’s) in 1942. Those groundbreaking volumes comprised of 42 page cost just 25¢ each.

A team comprised of Georges Duplaix (the idea man), other staff from Western, and staff from Simon & Schuster, decided to publish an initial set of twelve titles, all under the umbrella name of Little Golden Books.

The genius of placing them in unlikely retail locations, grocery and drug stores for example, added to their steady growth in popularity. In less than a year, over 1.5 million copies would be sold, and by the end of WWII, over 39 million were in the hands of happy children all around the world.

[Imagine my delight when I came across this early LGB display in an antique booth at the Marketplace on Chestnut in Oneonta, NY. I suspect it (or one like it) would have been found in drug and grocery stores, perhaps by the checkout.]

In 1958,  Western Publishing bought Simon & Schuster’s rights and created Golden Press, Inc. Two years later, WP & LC changed its name to Western Publishing Company, Inc. Currently Penguin Random House publishes the books.

First Twelve Titles

The first twelve Little Golden Books, issued with blue spines and dust jackets, included:

1. Mother Goose, 
2. Three Little Kittens,
3. Bedtime Stories,
4. The Alphabet A-Z,
5. Prayers for Children,
6. The Little Red Hen,
7. Nursery Songs,
8. The Poky Little Puppy,
9. The Golden Book of Fairy Tales,
10. Baby’s Book,
11. The Animals of Farmer Jones, and
12. This Little Piggy

First edition examples in pristine condition, with their dust jackets, range in value from $100-125. This 8th printing of Prayers for Children, which also has a dust jacket, is worth significantly less ($40-50) since it’s not a first edition and the dust jacket has condition issues.

Blue Bindings on Little Golden Books

The first 35 LGB’s were printed with blue bindings and dust jackets that advertised U.S. Savings Stamps and Bonds.

This copy of The Golden Book of Birds has the early blue binding that the publishers used right up until 1947, when they introduced their first golden spine.

Little Golden Books Original Prices

LGB’s were developed as a cheap alternative to more expensive children’s books selling at the time for $2-3.00 each. The dramatically lower price of 25¢ made them available to almost any child, not just the more well-to-do.

Until about 1988, buyers could find the book’s price in the upper right hand corner, as you can see on this 1st edition of Chipmunks Merry Christmas (1959).

Note however, that the first twelve volumes did not show the price in the corner (or anywhere) of the books.

The price remained fixed until 1962, when they raised it to 29¢. Every few years, the price went up another 10¢, right up to 1986 when the books cost 99¢ each. In 1989, the company placed a UCP code on the cover (front or back) and retailers attached a sticky price tag showing the price (usually near the UCP).

Today, LGB’s sell for $5.99 each with the price found on the back of each book, printed next to the UCP code. (see example below under Modern LGB”S)

 

How to Determine Whether Your Little Golden Book is a First Edition

1. 1947-70: Look for the Letter “A”

When trying to determine whether you own a first edition, one clue to look for is a letter hidden in the lower right corner of the last page. Sometimes you have to pull the back cover up a bit to spy the letter. 

“A” means first edition–like this edition of The Sky–“B” means second edition, and so forth. The publishers used this [odd] method from 1947 until 1970. Prior to that, the edition would be listed on the first or second page of the book.

2. 1971-1991: Specfically Referenced or a List of Letters 

Here you see a specific reference to this book being a 1969, 31st printing.

But here you see a series of letters with the presence of the letter “A” indicating a first printing. If the first letter listed had been a “B”, you would have a second printing, and so on.

3. 1991-2001: Roman Numerals

Between

4. Check the Back Cover Image

Over the years, the LGB back cover has varied quite a bit. Here are a handful to give you an idea. On the far left you see a fairly early back, listing just twenty-five books. (The black marks are due to aging.) The example on the far right reflects a much more modern back cover.

5. Use the Back Cover’s Book Numbers

From about 1947, most book titles received a number, which can usually be found next to the price or opposite the price in the far left top corner.

#287, copyright 1957, “A” edition, value: $6-12.00.The book Cleo received the number 287.

Many LGB’s have a list (similar to this one) on the back cover or inside the back cover. You can use this to tell if you have a first or later edition.

To do this, check to see if there are any books with higher numbers than the book you are checking. Cleo, #287, is followed by only one book, (a reprint of) Three Little Kittens, #288. It was likely published the same year as Cleo (1957), so this suggests that Cleo is a first edition.

If we had found a number of books with higher numbers and later copyright dates, then we know we don’t have a first edition.

[Note: The long list of titles that follows #233 Three Little Kittens, starting with A2 Circus Time, reflect a different numbering system used for special books, like Disney. If you were to check the last book, D61 Sleeping Beauty, you would find it has a 1957 copyright.]

Little Golden Books with Special Features

In the 50’s, the publisher developed several volumes that contained interactive features, like Circus Time with it’s rotating spinner, and other volumes with puzzles, stickers, bandaids, and paints.

Spinner

Many well-known illustrators collaborated with LGB’s, including Tibor Gergely, the artist responsible for Circus Time. 

Stamps

Western Publishing issued a number of books, including Dogs, that came with a few sheets of stamps that owners cut tear apart and place in designated locations in the book. Others include: Flags, Birds, Cars, United States, Science & Inventions, and Animals.

Little Golden Books: Television

No one could have anticipated the wild popularity of LGB’s. Before long, big names like Disney and television shows like Rin Tin Tin, Lassie, and Bozo the Clown each became the subject matter of an LGB.

Bozo the Clown

 In fact, think of a kid’s show and very likely, it has a corresponding LGB.

Lone Ranger

The Lone Ranger was a hugely popular show back in the 1950’s.

Little Golden Books: Disney

Many companies, including Disney, have happily associated themselves with Little Golden Books, including: the Muppets, Warner Brothers, Nickelodian, Universal, and Funko.

In 1944 Simon & Schuster published its first Disney book, Through the Picture Frame; the Disney-LGB relationship continues to this day.

Cinderella has been reissued numerous times, sometimes with different covers, like this later edition.

A film featuring Hayley Mills and based on the novel Pollyanna, generated related merchandise, including this Little Golden Book (1960) under the same title.

Famous Little Golden Book Authors

Some pretty well-known authors have either written Little Golden Books or have licensed their works to them: Beatrix Potter, P.L. Travers (Mary Poppins), Patsy Scarry, Margaret Wise Brown, and A.A. Milne.

Margaret Wise Brown

Both Margaret Wise Brown (of Goodnight Moon fame) and Richard Scary (of Busytown fame) have published numerous LGBs. Brown wrote The Color Kittens, published in 1949, though the copy you see here is a much later 1971 edition. 

Brown wrote about simple subject matter in a soothing alliterative way that appealed to both children and parents. Her stories involved bunnies, barnyard sounds, and bedtime rituals.

A.A. Milne

One of the most beloved characters of all time, Winne the Pooh has entertained children since 1926. After A.A. Milne’s death in 1956, his wife sold her merchandising rights to an individual who later sold them to Disney in 1961. 

Winne the Pooh Meets Gopher was the first LGB featuring Pooh (1965), but many more followed. In 2002 Forbes magazine ranked Winnie the Pooh as the most valuable fictional character [in terms of merchandising] (Wikipedia).

Famous LGB Artists

Little Golden Book Collectors often make choices based on book illustrators. Those that are most collectible include: Corrine Malvern, Tibor Gergley, Gustoff Tenngren, Garth Williams, Eloise Wilkin, and Richard Scarry.

Eloise Wilkin

With her immediately recognizable characters, Eloise Willkins is a much-beloved LGB illustrator. In 1943, Western Publishing offered her an almost 20-year contract to illustrate 3-4 Little Golden Books/year. Thus began a long and prolific partnership that resulted in over 65 LGB’s.

The New House in the Forest (1946) was her first book for Golden Books, while The Little Book came much later in 1969. Her books are among the most valued at the moment on eBay where I found her books (no matter the edition) selling regularly for $10-50 each.

Richard Scary

Richard Scarry, another well-known artist, both for his illustration of multiple LGB’s and his own Busytown books, illustrated over 300 books during the course of his lifetime. In 1959 he illustrated his first LGB: Margaret Wise Brown’s Two Little Miners.

Scarry honed is artistic skills during WWII while drawing maps, illustrating brochures, and making signs. His career really took off when Random House published Richard Scarry’s Best Word Book Ever in 1963.

Other LGB illustrators to consider include:

• Corrine Malvern
• Tibor Gergley
• Gertrude Elliot
• Gustof Tenngren
• Garth Williams

Modern Little Golden Books

As of 2025, new LBG’s are selling for $5.99 each, as you can see on the back cover of The Mandalorian: This is the Way. The back cover also reveals other Star Wars-related volumes.

You can also find reissues of older books, like The Fuzzy Duckling, which dates back to 1947.

Little Golden Book Values

Where to Find Vintage Little Golden Books

Over 2 billion copies have been published since 1942. Interested buyers can find loads of them at thrift stores, where vintage copies can be purchased for as little as 10¢, at flea markets for upwards of $2-3.00, and at antique shops for higher depending on the edition and condition of the book.

Serious collectors like to find copies in very good to excellent condition and typically will not pay much for those in poor condition.

Today, new LGB’s sell for $2.99-4.99 a copy, and they are still an excellent value. But I guess the old ones, like this one about how a rhinoceros learns to make friends, will always be my favorite. Which is your favorite?

Final Thoughts

I hope you’ve enjoyed this trip down LGB lane and have picked up some valuable information that will help you with your buying (and/or selling). Happy hunting!

Thanks so much for stopping by–

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Sources
Ten Things You Didn’t Know about Little Golden Books
Collecting Little Golden Books (store)