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The Water-Babies
by Charles Kingsley
- Used
- good
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Good
- Seller
-
BATH, Somerset, United Kingdom
Item Price
NZ$574.96NZ$517.47
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Dodd, Mead, & Company, 1916. Cloth. Good. 10" by 7.5". Jessie Willcox Smith. A colourfully illustrated edition of Charles Kingsley's immensely popular Victorian children's novel, illustrated in colour throughout by Jessie Willcox Smith. The first thus of Jessie Willcox Smith's illustrations.'The Water-Babies' is a children's fairy tale that was extremely popular when it was published. The novel follows Tom, a young chimney sweep, who falls into a river and is transformed into a water-baby.Illustrated with a colour frontispiece, eleven colour plates, and colour vignettes throughout.Collated, complete.Written by Charles Kingsley. Kingsley was a priest for the Church of England, and was a friend and correspondent of Charles Darwin, writing this novel partly in satire of 'In Origin of Species'.Illustrated by Jessie Willcox Smith, active during the Golden Age of American illustrations, contributing to many prominent publications.Bookplate to the reverse of the frontispiece, 'Fiorenza Johnson'. In the original publisher's cloth binding. Externally, smart, with a few light marks to the boards and spine. Light bumping to the head and tail of the spine and to the extremities. A little rubbing to the spine. Internally, generally firmly bound. Pages are bright and clean with a few odd handling marks, very clean for a children's work. Small closed tear to the tail of the frontispiece. Frontispiece is a little wrinkled. Bookplate to the reverse of the frontispiece. Plate facing page 158 is detached but present. Good
Synopsis
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.'
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Details
- Bookseller
- Rooke Books
(GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 754P8
- Title
- The Water-Babies
- Author
- Charles Kingsley
- Illustrator
- Jessie Willcox Smith
- Format/Binding
- Cloth
- Book Condition
- Used - Good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- Dodd, Mead, & Company
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1916
- Size
- 10" by 7.5"
- Keywords
- The Water-Babies charles kingsley childrens jessie willcox smith charles kingsley satire macmillan
Terms of Sale
Rooke Books
Books are sent on approval and may be returned in like condition for any reason within 14 days of receipt. Responsibility of return to be with the purchaser.
About the Seller
Rooke Books
Biblio member since 2007
BATH, Somerset
About Rooke Books
Welcome to Rooke Books Antiquarian Bookseller
We are a small team dedicated to bringing you very scarce books at reasonable prices. We specialise in rare and hard to come by works on all subjects over the last 500 years, together with modern first editions and decorative sets and bindings. Our library has something for every interest and specialism. We deliver worldwide using a fully tracked and insured courier delivery service.
Where are We?
Based in the literary city of Bath, our offices are housed in the Eastern Dispensary. Built in 1845, the building originally existed as a charitable institution providing medical care. The building now houses our collection of over twenty thousand books and has five full time members of staff.
We are a small team dedicated to bringing you very scarce books at reasonable prices. We specialise in rare and hard to come by works on all subjects over the last 500 years, together with modern first editions and decorative sets and bindings. Our library has something for every interest and specialism. We deliver worldwide using a fully tracked and insured courier delivery service.
Where are We?
Based in the literary city of Bath, our offices are housed in the Eastern Dispensary. Built in 1845, the building originally existed as a charitable institution providing medical care. The building now houses our collection of over twenty thousand books and has five full time members of staff.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Publisher's cloth
- A hardcover book comprised of cloth over hard pasteboard boards. ...
- Rubbing
- Abrasion or wear to the surface. Usually used in reference to a book's boards or dust-jacket.
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Tail
- The heel of the spine.
- Bookplate
- Highly sought after by some collectors, a book plate is an inscribed or decorative device that identifies the owner, or former...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Plate
- Full page illustration or photograph. Plates are printed separately from the text of the book, and bound in at production. I.e.,...
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