Production History

Production History

Sales and prevelance:  Minn of the Mississippi sold very well at the time of its publication going through several printing in its first years of publication.    It continues to be published to this day.  A search of most major online book retailers shows a wide variety of options for purchasing new copies of the book.  A search on Worldcat shows 1,439 libraries listing the book’s availability from their catalogs.   

Partial Printing History:

1951: First printing (Houghton Mifflin Co, Riverside Press, Cambridge, MA)
1951: Second printing (Houghton Mifflin Co, Riverside Press, Cambridge, MA)
1952: Third Printing (Houghton Mifflin Co, Riverside Press, Cambridge, MA)
1953: German Translation (Comel, Cologne, Germany)
1963: Cadmus books edition (E.M. Hale, Eau Claire, WI)
1978: (Houghton Mifflin Co, Boston, MA)
1979: Copyright Renewed (Houghton Mifflin Co, Boston, MA)
1979: Special Ed. (Trumpet Club, New York, NY)
1989: Special Ed. Reprint (Trumpet Club, New York, NY)
2001: 50th Anniversary Edition (Houghton Mifflin, Boston, MA)

Relationship to other works:  Although not a part of a particular series, Minn of the Mississippi corresponds strongly to the geographic themes of many of Hollings other works.  Much like Paddle to the Sea (1941), Tree in the Trail (1942) and Seabird (1943), Minn was written as an instructive story that provided its young readers with a large amount of geographic and historic information along with its narrative.

Variations: The book was generally published in the same large picturebook format throughout the entirety of its publication. After receiving the Newbrry honor in 1952, covers depicted a Newbery honor medal proudly on all book jackets published thereafter. Paper quality in editions dating from the late 70's and on appear to have either suffered from less aging or may have been printed on paper less prone to acidic yellowing. The major difference that has occurred during the course of printing began with the late 1970's printing of soft cover editions. These copies are simple paper and glue binding jobs with glossy thick paper being used as the exterior material. These cheaper paperback editions are slightly smaller and feature illustrations reaching to the exact edges of each page with no marginal areas that can be found in the hardbound editions.

Awards and Honors: Newbery Honor 1952

Advertisements:  

Advertisements for Minn of the Mississippi have emphasized its educational qualities by pairing it with other historic and geographic picture books.  Others have placed it with children’s adventure stories.  Houghton Mifflin’s website today advertises the work saying “the history of the Mississippi is told in text and pictures through the adventures of Minn.”  Paperback copies are currently sold at $11.95 and hardback copies are sold for $21.00

An advertisement dating from December 2, 1951 in the Boston Globe describes the book as a story that “tells the life of a great river.”  It also speaks of the book as being the fourth in a series of works and connects Minn thematically to Holling’s previous publications.

Another advertisement entitled “Houghton Mifflin’s Fall Roundup” found in the Chicago Tribune from November 11, 1951 describes the book as a story that is “rich in river lore.”  The book is encouraged for readers ages 8-12 and is advertised alongside notices for a biography of Robert E. Lee and an ad for a book about wild horses of the Southwest.  Both advertisements list the book’s original price as $3.00 (exactly 1/7 of today’s hardback price.)

Chicago Daily Tribune Advertisement, Nov. 11, 1951.  Unfortunately the image has expired due to the database I took it from.

Resources

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Website: http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/hmh/site/hmhbooks/bookdetails?isbn=9780395175781&srch=true Accessed 10-13-2012.

Advertisement: 1951, Nov. 11. Chicago Tribune: pt. 4, pg. 22.

Advertisement: 1951, Dec. 2. The Boston Globe: A, 28.

Holling, Holling Clancy. Minn of the Mississippi. Cambridge: Riverside Press, Houghton Mifflin, 1951.

Holling, Holling Clancy. Minn of the Mississippi. Cambridge: Riverside Press, Houghton Mifflin, 1953.

Holling, Holling Clancy. Minn of the Mississippi. New York: Trumpet Club, 1979.

Holling, Holling Clancy. Minn of the Mississippi. Cambridge: Houghton Mifflin, 2001.

Worldcat: http://www.worldcat.org/title/minn-of-the-mississippi/oclc/480499/editions?referer=di&editionsView=true Accessed 10-12-2012.