Available Copies from Independent Booksellers
Updike, John. The Magic Flute. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1962.
Price: US$100.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Exlibrary, usual marks; Updike adaptation of the libretto of The Magic Flute; color illustrations by Warren Chappell; library marks on first page of text, library stamp and bleed from tape on front and rear flyleafs; text otherwise clean and unmarked; DJ in protective mylar in very good condition, a few smudged marks on DJ.
Seller: Indy Library Store, Indianapolis, IN, U.S.A.
UPDIKE, John and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The Magic Flute. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1962.
Price: US$250.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: First edition, trade issue. Illustrated by Warren Chappell. Oblong quarto. Decorated cloth. Endpapers and a few pages lightly foxed, a few pages with modest stains, corners and spine ends slightly bumped, about very good in a spine-tanned good only dust jacket with a long tear at rear spine fold, 1" loss at spine foot, some soiling and foxing (more so on the rear panel), and a few creases and small tears. Adapted by Updike from musical themes of Mozart. The scarcer of the two issues (there was also an unjacketed library issue) of the author's scarcest children's book.
Seller: Between the Covers-Rare Books, Inc. ABAA, Gloucester City, NJ, U.S.A.
UPDIKE, JOHN. The Magic Flute. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, (1962), 1962.
Price: US$275.00 + shipping
Description: First edition. Oblong 8vo; unpaged; illustrated by Warren Chappell. Owner's inscription to verso front free endpaper; else a very good copy in original yellow cloth, in a worn dust jacket with edgewear, small loss to bottom of spine; price-clipped. Updike's adaptation of Schikaneder's libretto, with musical themes by Mozart and illustrations by Chappell. Scarce in the trade edition.
Seller: Trevian Books, Piermont, NY, U.S.A.
Price: US$300.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Yellow boards with brown design and lettering front cover, brown lettering to spine. Unpaginated, interior clean. Unclipped Mylar covered DJ has original $2.95 price, some soil and tears with chip missing back bottom edge. No additional printings noted, Borzoi stamp bottom back cover
Seller: Old Inlet Bookshop, Homer, AK, U.S.A.
Price: US$330.00 + shipping
Description: First printing. Oblong octavo (20cm x 26cm). Dull yellow pictorial cloth, titled in brown on spine and front cover; dustjacket; [32pp]; illus. Heavy erasure to front free endpaper; old tape shadows visible on blank portions of both endpapers; slight scuffing to bottom board edges, occasional light creasing to text; just a VG copy. In the original pictorial dustwrapper, crisp and unclipped (priced $2.95 on front flap) with a tiny bit of rubbing at flap-folds, still Near Fine. Updike's first book for young readers, an adaptation of the Mozart opera, charmingly illustrated by Warren Chappell. There were two simultaneous issues -- the one described here, and another in a library binding of pictorial cloth. TAYLOR A5.
Seller: Lorne Bair Rare Books, ABAA, Winchester, VA, U.S.A.
UPDIKE, John. The Magic Flute. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1962.
Price: US$500.00 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: First edition, library issue (also issued in cloth). Oblong quarto. Illustrated by Warren Chappell. Adapted from musical themes by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Publisher's pictorial boards, without dustwrapper (as this variant was issued). Corners a trifle rubbed, else near fine. Despite being from the library issue, this is NOT an ex-library copy, and as such is very uncommon. A nice copy of one of the author's scarcest children's books.
Seller: Between the Covers-Rare Books, Inc. ABAA, Gloucester City, NJ, U.S.A.
UPDIKE, John. The Magic Flute. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1962.
Price: US$600.00 + shipping
Condition: Fine
Description: First edition, library issue (also issued in cloth). Oblong quarto. Illustrated by Warren Chappell. Adapted from musical themes by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Publisher's pictorial boards, without dustwrapper (as this variant was issued). A trifle soiled, fine. Despite being from the library issue, this is NOT an ex-library copy, and as such is very uncommon. A nice copy of one of the author's scarcest children's books.
Seller: Between the Covers-Rare Books, Inc. ABAA, Gloucester City, NJ, U.S.A.
Price: US$750.00 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: Mozart's The Magic Flute, adapted and illustrated by John Updike and Warren Chappell; the first edition, published in 1962 by Alfred A. Knopf. Bound in publisher's lemon yellow cloth. A near fine copy with a light bump at upper corner of front board. Dust jacket very good with tears to both panels ( measuring from three quarters of n inch to one and a half inches ) slightly longer tear abutting forward spine fold and a few small chips. This copy has been inscribed by John Updike; For Tom Callaghan, From John Updike, this dainty dear old book. ' Bound in both library and trade editions, this is the trade edition.
Seller: The Reluctant Bookseller, Albany, NY, U.S.A.
UPDIKE, John and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The Magic Flute. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1962.
Price: US$750.00 + shipping
Condition: Fine
Description: First edition, trade issue. Illustrated by Warren Chappell. Oblong quarto. Decorated cloth. Slight foxing, else fine in near very good dustwrapper with several tears and tiny nicks. Signed by Updike. Adapted by Updike from musical themes of Mozart. The scarcer of the two issues (there was also an unjacket library issue) of the author's scarcest children's book. Uncommon signed.
Seller: Between the Covers-Rare Books, Inc. ABAA, Gloucester City, NJ, U.S.A.
Updike, John. The Magic Flute. Alfred A. Knopf, 1962.
Price: US$1000.00 + shipping
Condition: Fine
Description: Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1962. Hardcover. Condition: As New Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. First edition. Illustrated by Warren Chappell. Oblong quarto. Decorated cloth. Cover with colored music sheet decorations. Rare first edition in excellent condition! A wonderful find!
Seller: Bell's Books, Mason, TX, U.S.A.
Updike, John. The Magic Flute. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1962.
Price: US$1100.00 + shipping
Condition: Fine
Description: Very scarce signed first edition in non price clipped dj ($2.95); closed tear to front gutter of dj that doesn't distract from the attractiveness of this copy; book clean and bright in mustard colored cloth; color illustrations by Chappell Size: 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall
Seller: Cornelius Muhilly Rare Books, Kansas City, MO, U.S.A.