DALLAS, TX.- Once upon a time Justin Schiller scoured used book stores to gather gems others had missed or ignored. And while still a boy himself in 1956, all of 12 years old, Schiller quickly became synonymous with handling the best of the best in children's literature, and by 1959 founded what became the oldest and finest firm in the country dealing in such specialized rarities.

So it should not surprise that the first-ever auction of Schiller's rarefied collection realized more than $1.4 million Wednesday afternoon, nor that several hundred bibliophiles virtually attended Heritage Auctions' Dec. 16 event titled Once Upon a Time: Rare Children's Literature from Justin G. Schiller, Ltd.

"Justin has been at the absolute pinnacle of the field of rare and early children's literature for more than 40 years," says James Gannon, Heritage Auctions' Director of Rare Books. "Over that time he has handled so many different copies and variants of all the classic titles, including those included in this auction. He has an incredible wealth of knowledge about the material, and his willingness to share that enabled our incredible success.

"This event prompted prominent collectors in other fields and from other subject areas in rare books to bid aggressively and competitively on these lots. I was especially heartened by the fact that in addition to key lots getting a lot of attention, more minor or obscure lots also had numerous bidders and were pushed to strong prices."

For proof of the enchanting event's success, look no further than the event's top lot, which sold for $112,500, more than twice its $50,000 estimate: the first enlarged edition of Kinder- und Hausmärchen by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, published in 1837. The tome full of the Brothers Grimm's famous tales is inscribed by Wilhelm to a family friend who contributed 10 stories to the collection.

Not far behind that revered read was one of the books that established Schiller's legend when, in 1952, he presented to Columbia University impossible-to-find L. Frank Baum works for an exhibition. On Wednesday, Schiller's first edition of Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz sold for $81,250, more than four times its estimate to set a world record for an uninscribed first edition of the beloved book.




One of the auction's smallest lots – a book so miniature it could fit in the palm of a hand – was among its most important, the template for the Brothers Grimm and all who followed. It was among the most popular, too, as bidders fought to own a 1697 (pirated!) edition of Charles Perrault's influential fairytale collection Histoires ou Contes du Temps Passé, otherwise known as Tales and Stories of the Past. His collection of folk stories rendered as fairy tales, most famously "Cinderella," "Sleeping Beauty," and "Little Red Riding Hood," opened bidding at $35,000, and after a heated round of bidding sold above estimate for $71,875.

No children's book auction would be whole without the inclusion of Beatrix Potter, who famously and astonishingly could find no takers for her now-beloved Tale of Peter Rabbit upon completion more than 120 years ago.

Among several Potter rarities offered in the event, Schiller had one of the most totemic copies of The Tale of Peter Rabbit: one of the 250 privately published copies made available in December 1901, and one annotated by Potter after she paid for the copies herself upon failing to find a willing publisher. The Tale of Peter Rabbit that sold Thursday for $52,500 – almost twice the estimate – was among the small lot Potter carried to nearby booksellers in the hopes of getting them to stock the official release forthcoming the following year.

Collectors also vied for an extraordinary museum-worthy piece of Potter's: her circa-1890s illustration "Dancing to the Piper," featuring seven bunnies cavorting to a tune played by the rabbit in the center. Four illustrations from The Rabbit's Christmas Party series, from which the "Piper" comes, are featured in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the world's largest repository of Potter's drawings, manuscripts and correspondence.

This one sold Thursday for $62,500. That, like so many other offerings in the Schiller sale, was above its estimate.

Another delightful illustration from a beloved author featuring an adored creation was a bright star in the sale: Theodor Seuss Giesel's original drawing from 1938 titled "Matilda The Compassionate Elefant Who Devotes her Days to the Hatching of Orphan Humming Bird Eggs," which realized $37,000. That it sold for nearly twice estimate does not surprise, as this was Seuss's earliest incarnation of the character eventually called Horton.

Such was the depth and breadth of Schiller's shelves that this event featured everything from an inscribed first printing of the first edition of Hans Christian Andersen's Eventyr, Fortalte For Børn from 1835, which realized $42,500, to a circa-1680 Silver Hornbook that opened the auction with such a heated round of bidding that it wound up fetching $20,625, twice its estimate.

And by the end of the night, Schiller's shelves were bare, while contented collectors basked in their joy of owning such lovingly curated delights. A fairy-tale ending, indeed.