Augustus Drives a Jeep — Le Grand, Cadmus 1944

📖 Augustus Drives a Jeep by Le Grand (1944, Cadmus Books) — the tenth book in Le Grand Henderson’s beloved Augustus series, following a Huck Finn-style boy’s wartime adventures as he commands a military Jeep from Florida to South Carolina. This copy is a Cadmus Books reprint edition with original silhouette illustrations by the author.

QUICK FACTS

• Author: Le Grand Henderson (1901–1964), pen name “Le Grand”
• Publisher: E. M. Hale and Company, Eau Claire, Wisconsin (Cadmus Books imprint, by arrangement with The Bobbs-Merrill Company)
• Year: 1944 (copyright; Cadmus Books reprint edition)
• Format: Hardcover, no dust jacket
• Pages: Not specified | ISBN: None (pre-ISBN era)
• Condition: Good+ (G+) — full report below

THE STORY

Augustus has been captivated by military jeeps ever since seeing an army officer behind the wheel. When he and his friends Jeems and Uncle Sam get their hands on a surplus jeep, the trio contrives to drive it from Florida to South Carolina — encountering plowing accidents, night maneuvers, and plenty of roadside chaos along the way. Henderson’s storytelling blends humor with the patriotic spirit of the American home front during World War II.

THE AUGUSTUS SERIES

Le Grand Henderson wrote twelve Augustus books between 1939 and 1948, chronicling the cross-country adventures of a resourceful boy modeled on Huck Finn. The series drew from Henderson’s own yearlong houseboat journey down the Mississippi River. Other titles include Augustus and the River (1939), Augustus Helps the Navy (1942), and Augustus Saves a Ship (1945). Henderson, a Yale School of Fine Arts graduate, also illustrated all his books.

THIS EDITION

This is a Cadmus Books reprint published by E. M. Hale and Company of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, under arrangement with the original publisher, The Bobbs-Merrill Company. Cadmus Books was a mid-century reprint imprint that made popular children’s titles available at lower prices. The edition features the distinctive Cadmus Books endpapers — a repeating blue star pattern with the Cadmus logo — and retains Henderson’s original illustrations throughout.

COVER ART and ILLUSTRATIONS

The front cover features a bold, graphic illustration on red cloth boards: a green military jeep with two figures aboard, set against stylized palm fronds. The title appears in a black rectangular block with orange-red lettering, and “Le Grand” is signed in cursive script. Interior illustrations are rendered in Henderson’s characteristic silhouette style — dark charcoal-like sketches depicting Augustus behind the wheel, the jeep pulling a plow through a field, and Augustus crawling up a moonlit gully to meet his companions. The artwork captures movement and humor through simplified forms and dramatic shading.

WHY IT MATTERS

• Part of a 12-book series that ranks among the more collectible American children’s adventure sets from the 1940s
• Le Grand Henderson’s illustrations are the primary draw for collectors — all books in the series are author-illustrated
• The wartime setting makes this a crossover collectible for both children’s literature and WWII memorabilia collectors
• Cadmus Books editions are less common than the Bobbs-Merrill originals, adding scarcity for series completists

FREQUENTLY ASKED

What edition is this? This is the Cadmus Books reprint edition, published by E. M. Hale and Company under arrangement with The Bobbs-Merrill Company. It is not a first edition.

What condition is it in? Good+ (G+) — see the full condition report below.

Is this the original Bobbs-Merrill edition? No. This is the Cadmus Books reprint, a budget-friendly reprint imprint of the same text and illustrations. The original Bobbs-Merrill edition is harder to find.

FOR COLLECTORS

This copy carries a blue ink library stamp from Holy Trinity School in Poughkeepsie, New York, on the title page — a mark of provenance that places it in a mid-century school library. The Cadmus Books endpapers with their distinctive star-and-book logo pattern are intact and in good condition. For series completists, this fills a key slot in the Augustus run.

Book Details

Author: Le Grand (Le Grand Henderson)

Illustrator: Le Grand

Publisher: E. M. Hale and Company (Cadmus Books Edition, by arrangement with The Bobbs-Merrill Company)

Binding: HARDCOVER

Edition Points: Cadmus Books reprint edition; copyright 1944. Ink library stamp on title page indicating former school ownership (“Holy Trinity School, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.”), no other library marks or tags applied.

Condition Report

Overall Grade: Good+ (G+)

Cover and Spine: Red cloth boards printed with black and green cover artwork. Rubbing to the edges and corners with moderate bumping to the spine ends. Spine fabric is faded.

Text Block and Pages: Pages are uniform light cream with minor age-toning throughout. Clean text block with occasional light thumbing and school stamp on title page.

Binding: Square and intact; hinges hold firmly.

See accompanying images for full condition details. Will ship promptly, carefully packaged.

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