The character is one of the most important in the history of television. When he went national, all of America went crazy for the marionette. While the first five issues of the book were photo-covers, the title soon established a history of beautiful, painted covers. This one is a wonderful image of a happy Howdy enjoying the friendship and help of a neighborly elephant. For more on the character of Howdy, please see our listing for Howdy Doody #1 elsewhere in the auction. This copy comes directly from the files of Dell Publishing. As a file copy, it has never seen the regular routes of distribution. The book sat in storage until the file copies were purchased by a private collector in the mid-eighties. It looks as good as the day it left the printer. The pages are cream to off-white. The book is CGC-certified 9.4 (NM). According to the CGC census, this copy is tied with one other as the highest graded copy they have seen.