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The water-babies : a fairy tale for a land-baby / by the Rev. Charles Kingsley ; with two illustrations by J. Noel Paton, R.S.A.
by Kingsley, Charles (1819-1875)
- Used
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
Galway, Ireland
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
London ; Cambridge : Macmillan and Co., 1863. First Edition. Hardback. This copy is from the rare first issue of the first edition. It contains a leaf bearing a poem, L'Envoi [following the dedication page]. Kingsley had second thoughts about this while the book was being printed, and he had the leaf removed, but not before a few hundred copies of the book had already been printed (Gottlieb, Early Children's Books and Their Illustration, 113). Very good copy in a fine period binding - Professionally and sympathetically rebacked with the spine laid back. Spine bands and panel edges slightly dust-toned and rubbed as with age. Gilt-blocked leather label (somewhat worn) to spine, with raised bands and spine compartments uniformly tooled in gilt. Gilt and blind-tooled double-lined borders to panels. ""Honoris Causa"" gilt-stamped on front panel - ""Eliot Place"" on rear. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Scattered foxing around prelims and terminal leaves. Marginal foxing evident around the second plate facing p.145. Water staining also evident along bottom of prelims., including the frontis. and title page. Remains particularly well-preserved overall; tight, bright, clean and strong. Further scans, images etc. and additional bibliographical material available on request.; 8vo 8"" - 9"" tall; 350 pages; Physical description: 350p., [2] leaves of plates : ill. ; 22 cm. Summary: The Water-Babies was inspired by Kingsley's thoughts on evolution. He was one of the few clergymen to accept wholeheartedly Darwin's theories of evolution and natural selection and to devote himself to the spread of the new knowledge of nature. Subjects: Children -- Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction -- Chimney sweeps -- Fairies -- Evolution.
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
- MW Books Ltd.
(IE)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 211734
- Title
- The water-babies : a fairy tale for a land-baby / by the Rev. Charles Kingsley ; with two illustrations by J. Noel Paton, R.S.A.
- Author
- Kingsley, Charles (1819-1875)
- Format/Binding
- Hardback
- Book Condition
- Used
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- London ; Cambridge : Macmillan and Co.
- Date Published
- 1863
Terms of Sale
MW Books Ltd.
Returns accepted within 10 days of receipt if you are unsatisfied with either our description of, or the book itself.
About the Seller
MW Books Ltd.
Biblio member since 2005
Galway
About MW Books Ltd.
MW Books is an academic and antiquarian bookshop with a large stock in core areas such as Early Travel & Exploration, Nineteenth Century Literature, Early Political Economy, Labour and Social History, and Asian and Colonial History. Please don't hesitate to contact us with your questions or comments regarding any item listed.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Title Page
- A page at the front of a book which may contain the title of the book, any subtitles, the authors, contributors, editors, the...
- 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....
- Rebacked
- having had the material covering the spine replaced. ...
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Plate
- Full page illustration or photograph. Plates are printed separately from the text of the book, and bound in at production. I.e.,...
- Tight
- Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.
- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
- Raised Band(s)
- Raised bands refer to the ridges that protrude slightly from the spine on leather bound books. The bands are created in the...
- Leaves
- Very generally, "leaves" refers to the pages of a book, as in the common phrase, "loose-leaf pages." A leaf is a single sheet...
- Edges
- The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a...
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