The Caldecott Collector: They Were Strong and Good, 1941 Caldecott Winner: Caldecott & Book Collector's Notes

1941 Winner: They Were Strong and Good, illustrated and written by Robert Lawson. First published by Viking in 1940.

The dustjacket to later printings, but the Caldecott medal (which appears on the second print) is slightly different:

(Left is the medal on my second print, October 1940, which has a bronze background and looks more like a medal.
Right is from my 15th print, November 1966.)

Original cloth boards were beige and blue. Later prints, like my 15th, are red on red with the same design:
Original price of $1.50 should appear on the top right corner of the dustjacket. There seems to be no difference in the text on either the front or back flap; the later print simply adds a note about the Caldecott.
Title page, copyright page and front endpapers appear as follows. My copy is a second printing. First print would simply read: "First published September 1940."

Is a first edition, first print worth it? I have only seen verifiable first prints start at $495. If you're collecting and you see one for less, I might snatch it as an investment. I was lucky to get a second print, signed, with dustjacket for well under $100. If you are just looking for the art and the experience of the book, I can say that the earlier print has thicker paper (It actually stacks a hair or two higher) and a nicer feel, but the artwork stands up to the presumably cheaper print. Later editions, I have read, edit some of the politically incorrect language in the earlier prints, so that also may be desirable.

(The picture on the left is the second printing, on the right is the 15th printing.)

Looking for Lawson? Check out these links for a full bibliography. Key works include his 1938 Caldecott Honor Four and Twenty Blackbirds: Old Nursery Rhymes; his 1941 Caldecott Winner They Were Strong and Good; and his 1936 The Story of Ferdinand, a beloved classic that he also penned with Munro Leaf.