The Trumpet of the Swan. White, E.B.; Illustrated by Edward Frascino Children's Books

First edition of White's classic novel. Octavo, original cloth, illustrated. Association copy, inscribed by the author in the year of publication on the front free endpaper, "Isabel Russell with my best wishes and a loud ko hoh! EB White June 1970." The recipient, Isabel Russell, was the longtime personal secretary and assistant to E. B. White, best known for his classic works Charlotteâ s Web and Stuart Little as well as his contributions to The New Yorker. Russellâ s close professional relationship with White, later documented in The White World of E. B. White (1986), provides valuable insight into the writerâ s disciplined creative process, modest personality, and reflections on language and rural life. Beneath White's inscription is a gift inscription written by Russell, "For Jeff and Jane summer of 1996 Isabel Russell." Fine in a near fine price-clipped dust jacket. Illustrated by Edward Frascino. Ownership inscription in blue ballpoint to the top on the rear panel flap. â E.B. Whiteâ s last book for children, published almost 20 years after Charlotteâ s Web, is the unlikely tale of Louis, a mute trumpeter swan (named for Louis Armstrong), who compensates for his muteness by becoming a virtuoso player of a real trumpet... As he had done with Charlotteâ s Web, [White] researched his material thoroughlyâ " making inquiries about everything from the annual migration of trumpeter swans to the workings of the swan boats in the Boston Public Gardenâ " and he wrote the text with the same scrupulous attention to detail... E.B. White has won a place in the hearts of the young foreverâ (Silvey, 677-78).