Lassie and the Secret of the Summer, 1958 Whitman Hardcover by Dorothea J. Snow
A Lassie TV-era novel from Whitman's 1950s children's line
Lassie and the Secret of the Summer is a 1958 children's novel written by Dorothea J. Snow and published by Whitman, the children's book imprint of Western Printing and Lithographing Company. It was licensed by Lassie Programs, Inc. and came out while the Lassie TV series was set on the Miller family farm. The story follows twelve-year-old Jeff Miller, his grandfather and Lassie in the small town of Calverton.
A blue Lassie hardcover with a photo of Lassie standing under a fallen-tree arch
The 1958 Whitman hardcover of Lassie and the Secret of the Summer has a full-color photo cover: a sable-and-white collie standing on sandy ground under an arch formed by a weathered, sun-bleached fallen tree, against a bright blue sky. "LASSIE" runs across the top left in large yellow capitals, with "and the Secret of the Summer" in cream lettering beside it. The back cover is plain teal blue with black text advertising Whitman's Timber Trail Riders books.
A small blue hardcover with a photo of Lassie under a big curved log on the front and a Timber Trail Riders ad on the back is this book.
- Front cover: color photo of Lassie, mouth open, framed by a curved gray-white tree trunk. Blue sky behind, dark green trees at the lower right.
- Title lettering: "LASSIE" in tall yellow serif capitals with a thin dark outline. "and the Secret of the Summer" in cream bold sans-serif, set on three lines to the right.
- Back cover: solid teal blue. "Whitman's new" and "TIMBER TRAIL RIDERS" at the top, a short blurb, then five Timber Trail Riders titles. A small catalog number at the lower right.
- Endpapers: blue and black line drawings across both pages. On the left, a woman in a suit with a suitcase at a small-town train station with a sign ending in "RTON." On the right, a boy running toward a collie on the platform, with a train behind them.
- Inside: cream pages with two-color blue and black illustrations. Each chapter opens with a small spot drawing. Chapter 1, "First Things First!", opens with a full-page drawing of a boy on a town street stopping a car as a collie runs toward him.
- Copyright page: centered black text, transcribed at right.
Front cover: LASSIE and the Secret of the Summer Copyright page: Copyright © MCMLVIII LASSIE PROGRAMS, INC. Printed in U.S.A. by Western Printing and Lithographing Company All names, events, places, and characters in this book are entirely fictitious. Back cover titles: THE LONG TRAIL NORTH, A Mike Casey Story THE TEXAS TENDERFOOT, A Dave Talbot Story THE LUCK OF BLACK DIAMOND, A Sunny Saunders Story THE MYSTERY OF THE HOLLYWOOD HORSE, A Peggy Lewis Story THE MYSTERIOUS DUDE, A Dave Talbot Story
- Lassie Secret of the Summer 1958
- Whitman Lassie book by Dorothea Snow
- Lassie TV edition hardcover, 1958
- Vintage Lassie children's book, Whitman
Every listing we've found, ranked by delivered price
Listings from eBay, Etsy, Depop, Poshmark and vintage sellers' own sites. Price includes shipping.
| Seller | Condition | Printing | Price | Shipping | Delivered | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your listing eBay | Poor to fair: spine paper torn, binding loose, cover edges worn, endpaper inscription | © 1958, Timber Trail Riders back | Not set | Not set | —add your price | Draft | View ↗ |
About Lassie and the Secret of the Summer
Who wrote Lassie and the Secret of the Summer?
Dorothea J. Snow (1909–2007), a teacher and writer who wrote several Lassie books for Whitman. A Whitman series checklist credits the illustrations to Ken Sawyer.
When was it published?
The copyright page says MCMLVIII, which is 1958. One library archive lists a copy as "ca. 1958" with a 1964 note, so later printings may exist. The back cover ads are a good way to tell printings apart.
Who published it?
Whitman, printed in the USA by Western Printing and Lithographing Company, under license from Lassie Programs, Inc.
What is the story about?
Twelve-year-old Jeff Miller and Lassie in the small town of Calverton, with Jeff's grandfather. The first chapter is "First Things First!"
- Northeast News: Dorri Partain on Lassie and the Secret of the Summer
- LibraryThing: Dorothea J. Snow
- Cornell University Library archive listing
- Copyright page and covers, from the owner's photos