I happened to walk past a little thrift store earlier today. I was in an area I’ve never visited before and noticed this store tucked away in a little strip mall. I decided to stop in and take a look around.

I wasn’t finding much in the way of books I was interested in, but then I checked the kids’ section and came across this nice old copy of the first Boxcar Children book by Gertrude Chandler Warner.

This particular edition was published in 1950 and contains the revised 1942 text. Apparently (I just learned this today!), the book was originally published in 1924, but was republished in 1942 in a revised and shortened edition. This 1942 edition is the one I am familiar with, and is the text one usually encounters in modern printings. It would be interesting to compare it with the earlier, original text.

This is a great, solidly constructed hardcover, handsome in its red cloth with black illustration. The inside front and back covers have a wonderful map…”Where the Boxcar Children Went”.

I am planning to give it to my daughter as a gift, as it’s one of her favorite books.