Skip to content

No image available
No image available

Water Babies Hardcover - 1981

by Kingsley, Charles


About this book

The Water-Babies, A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby is a children's novel by the Reverend Charles Kingsley. Written in 1862-1863 as a serial for Macmillan's Magazine, it was first published in its entirety in 1863. The book was extremely popular during its day, and was a mainstay of children's literature through the 1920s, but eventually fell out of favor in part due to its prejudices against Irish, Jews, Catholics, blacks, Americans, and the poor.

In the style of Victorian-era novels, The Water-Babies is a didactic moral fable about a young chimney sweep, Tom, who falls into a river and becomes a 'water-baby,' guided by moral teachers through lessons and adventures, eventually earning the right to become human again and being united with an upper-class girl Ellie who had also become a 'water-baby.'


First Edition Identification

First edition (London Macmillan and Company 1863) is usually without the L'Envoi leaf as is almost always encountered as the author had it removed from all but the first 200 or so copies. Illustrations in this edition include two full page plates by J. Noel Paton and with a number of small illustrations used throughout as opening initials.

Details

  • Title Water Babies
  • Author Kingsley, Charles
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Edition First Thus Colle
  • Pages 240
  • Publisher Hodder & Stoughton, London
  • Date 1981
  • ISBN 9780340274583
Back to Top

More Copies for Sale

No image available

The Water Babies

  • Used
  • near fine
  • Hardcover
  • first
Condition
Used - Near Fine
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9780340274583
ISBN 10
0340274581
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Sorn, East Ayrshire, United Kingdom
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 1 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$149.51
NZ$27.77 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Hodder & Stoughton Ltd, 1981-09-30. hardcover. Near Fine/Near Fine. 0x0x0. 240pp. (Green Spine). 1981 second impression facsimile of the original 1919 first edition. A lovely, fresh, clean, tight and bright near fine copy in transparent jacket that is also in very well preserved condition. 12 charming colour plates by Jessie Willcox Smith. No inscriptions. The slightest of spotting to the leading and upper fore-edges - hardly noticeable. A very well preserved copy of a charming book.
Item Price
NZ$149.51
NZ$27.77 shipping to USA
No image available

The Water Babies

by Charles Kingsley

  • Used
  • Fine
  • Hardcover
  • first
Condition
Used - Fine
Edition
First Thus Collectible
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9780340274583
ISBN 10
0340274581
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Vashon, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$159.61
NZ$8.57 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
London: Hodder & Stoughton. 1981. First Thus Collectible. H Full Leather. Fine. Bound in full green leather with titling and pictorial upper cover illustration in gilt, all edges gilt, 4to, 240pp. Illustrated in color by James Willcox Smith.
Item Price
NZ$159.61
NZ$8.57 shipping to USA