Ali of Baku 1949 AUTHOR SIGNED First Edition Dust Jacket Provenance Azerbaijan For Sale

• Item Name: Ali of Baku

• Authors: Judith Shouisky and Ruth T. McGibeny

• Publisher: Thomas Y. Crowell Company (New York)

• Year: 1949 (First Edition / First Printing)

• Country of Manufacture: Printed in the United States of America by The Vail-Ballou Press, Inc., Binghamton, N.Y.

Condition: Very Good to Fine / Collector-Grade. An exceptional, museum-quality survivor of an incredibly scarce title. The book features crisp green cloth boards with exceptionally sharp corners and clean, rigid edges. The binding is remarkably tight, and the text block is bright, clean, and completely free of modern markings, highlights, or structural damage. The original illustrated dust jacket is present, retains its original $2.50 price flap, and remains in beautiful vintage condition with only negligible edge wear.

Elite Provenance & Association Package: This specific copy functions as a flawless historical time capsule. The front flyleaf contains the vintage handwritten ownership signature and address of \"Elizabeth C. Blaha, Milwaukee, Wis.\" dated 7/12/49. The opposite page features a full-page, heartfelt personal handwritten inscription and signature from the co-author, Judith Shouisky, signed in Chicago on that exact same day: July 12, 1949. Tucked safely inside the back cover is the original handwritten bookstore sales receipt from July 12, 1949, matching the exact day of purchase and author signature.

This is an elite, museum-grade acquisition for serious collectors of mid-century children\'s literature, historical fiction, and Caucasian regional history. Written as a four-year collaborative effort by Judith Shouisky (who drew directly from her personal life experiences living in the region) and Ruth T. McGibeny, Ali of Baku follows a young Azerbaijani boy\'s journey through the tumultuous, culturally diverse landscape of the Caucasus as he seeks to pursue a life in medicine amidst intense regional shifts.

Given its highly specialized subject matter and mid-century publication, copies of this First Printing featuring its original dust jacket are incredibly scarce on the open market. This specific copy, however, is a peerless artifact with ironclad provenance. It features a beautiful, full-page presentation inscription written and signed by co-author Judith Shouisky to her \"friendly colleague Miss Elisabeth Blaha,\" wishing that the story \"will find echo in your humane and responsive heart.\"

Signed on July 12, 1949, this volume still includes its beautifully preserved original dust jacket and—most remarkably—the original paper sales slip from the exact Chicago/Milwaukee area transaction on that very day. A truly irreplaceable piece of literary history that stands at the absolute pinnacle of preservation for this title.

• Ali of Baku signed

• Judith Shouisky signed book

• 1949 Azerbaijan history fiction

• Thomas Y Crowell first edition

• Antiquarian book with original receipt

• Signed presentation copy 1949

• Rare Caucasus region literature

• Mid-century signed children\'s book