The Small Miracle by Paul Gallico

Originally published in 1951, The Small Miracle by Paul Gallico is one of the author’s most beloved Christmas stories. This 1953 sixth impression hardcover, published by Michael Joseph in London, tells the touching tale of Pepino, a poor Italian orphan, and his small donkey Violetta.

When Pepino’s donkey becomes ill, the young boy journeys to Rome in the hope that a miracle might save her. Along the way he encounters kindness, hardship and ultimately an unforgettable meeting at the Vatican. Written with Gallico’s trademark warmth and sentiment, The Small Miracle is widely regarded as one of the finest modern Christmas tales, appealing to collectors of vintage holiday fiction and to fans of “The Snow Goose”.

This copy retains its original turquoise dust jacket with red lettering and the delicate line illustration to the front panel. The jacket notes that the story was later filmed as “Never Take No for an Answer”.

Condition – Very Good

The Small Miracle – Very Good hardcover in a Good clipped dust jacket. The blue cloth boards with gilt spine lettering remain clean and attractive. The dust jacket is price-clipped and moderately worn, with edge wear, rubbing, small chips and short tears, particularly to the spine ends and corners. There is a gift inscription to the front endpaper. Foxing is present to the endpapers, preliminaries and lightly through parts of the text block, but the book remains sound and appealing overall.