BOND, Michael (1926-2017). A Bear Called Paddington, London, 1958, 8vo, original pink cloth, dust-jacket. FIRST EDITION OF THE FIRST "PADDINGTON" NOVEL, PRESENTATION COPY, inscribed on the front free endpaper, "To Nina, with best wishes, Michael Bond."

BOND, Michael (1926-2017).  A Bear Called Paddington. London: Collins, 1958. 8vo (200 x 135mm). Half title, illustration of Paddington Bear on title and other illustrations in the text by Peggy Fortnum. Original pink cloth, spine lettered in silver, blue and white dust-jacket with an illustration of Paddington and price of "8s. 6d. net" unclipped (dust-jacket with chip and short tear to head of backstrip not touching letters, the lightest fraying at edges). Provenance: The Property of the late Tamara Lo. A FINE COPY OF THE FIRST EDITION OF THE FIRST "PADDINGTON BEAR" BOOK, PRESENTATION COPY, inscribed on the front free endpaper, "To Nina [Froud], with best wishes, Michael Bond." From the front turn-in: "PLEASE LOOK AFTER THIS BEAR. THANK YOU. It was these words, written on the label round his neck, which made the Brown family decide to take the small brown bear home with them. They met him, incidentally, on Paddington station; he had travelled by himself all the way from Peru, with only a jar of his favourite marmalade to keep him going." Following his first appearance in book form here in A Bear Called Paddington, Paddington went on to appear in a stop-motion animated television series in the 1970s and two hugely-successful feature films, before, more recently, appearing in a charming scene made for television in which he takes tea and marmalade sandwiches in Buckingham Palace with the Queen on the occasion of her Platinum Jubilee. Over the years, Paddington has entered the nation's psyche - reminding us, touchingly, of the plight of all refugees, and how compassion is amply repaid - whilst endearing himself to several generations of the young and the not-so-young alike with his kindness and - perhaps unusually for a bear - his gentle humanity. Tamara Lo and Nina Froud both worked for Michael Bond's literary agency. RARE. Connolly Children's Modern First Editions 60.