Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – A Little Golden Book (Simon and Schuster) 1948

Little Golden Treasure

This iconic little book, designed by Ken O’Brien and Al Dempster, was published in 1948 by Simon and Schuster. The author is anonymous, but the collection is supervised by Mary Reed PhD, “formerly a teachers college Columbia University”.

“#D4” appears on the top right corner of the cover, and the letter “A” appears on the bottom right corner of the last page of the first edition. The following editions are marked “B”, “C” and so on, and contain various changes on the cover and in the pages.

The book’s original retail price was 25 cents, as shown on the back cover. This price was still valid four years later, when Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was re-released in theaters in the United States, as evidenced by the 1952 American campaign book.

The Little Golden book was adapted for foreign markets, and the illustrations have been reused to this day in a host of adaptations in various formats: book-and-record sets, toys, etc. Many new editions were published thereafter, although some were condensed versions of 28 pages.