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The Water-Babies
by Charles Kingsley
- Used
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Very Good Indeed
- Seller
-
BATH, Somerset, United Kingdom
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
London: T. Werner Laurie, 1932. Cloth. Very Good Indeed. 6.5" by 8.5". Arthur Gatlish. A bright copy of this classic children's tale, with vibrant illustrations from Arthur Gatlish. The first edition thus of this children's classic to feature illustrations from Arthur Gatlish. The only children's work he would illustrate. With frontispiece and a further seven unusually brightly coloured plates. Collated, complete.Charles Kingsley, priest and Christian socialist, first published this novel in its complete form in 1863. It is somewhat satirical, written in part to support Kingsley's friend Charles Darwin and his contentious work 'On the Origins of Species'. While thematically concerned with Christian redemption, within his book Kingsley confronts both England's treatment of its poor and the practice of child labour.With a publisher's advertisement to recto of half title. In the publisher's original pictorial cloth binding. Bumping to spine head and shelf wear to tail. Light rubbing to head of front joint. Internally, firmly bound. Pages bright and clean. Very Good Indeed
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 #
- 778F46
- Title
- The Water-Babies
- Author
- Charles Kingsley
- Illustrator
- Arthur Gatlish
- Format/Binding
- Cloth
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good Indeed
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- T. Werner Laurie
- Place of Publication
- London
- Date Published
- 1932
- Size
- 6.5" by 8.5"
- Keywords
- Chimney Sweep Edwardian Fantasy Charles Darwin Edwardian Christianity
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:
- Rubbing
- Abrasion or wear to the surface. Usually used in reference to a book's boards or dust-jacket.
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Shelf Wear
- Shelf wear (shelfwear) describes damage caused over time to a book by placing and removing a book from a shelf. This damage is...
- Tail
- The heel of the spine.
- 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...
- 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....
- Recto
- The page on the right side of a book, with the term Verso used to describe the page on the left side.
- Poor
- A book with significant wear and faults. A poor condition book is still a reading copy with the full text still readable. Any...
- Half Title
- The blank front page which appears just prior to the title page, and typically contains only the title of the book, although, at...
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