Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1986. dj. SIGNED hardcover first edition - His first book for children, the story of old Jake (just a" rickety" old hermit) and how he came to the rescue of the town when it was overrun by owls of all kinds . Beautifully illustrated with many full page woodcuts by Michael McCurdy. SIGNED by Norman on the title page. Selected by the NY Times as one of the best illustrated books of the year. Oblong format, unpaginated. ISBN: 0-87113-0580.