Our Nursery Rhyme Book edited by Letty and Frank Littlewood (Simpkin &c, circa 1916) illustrated by Honor C. Appleton
Our Nursery Rhyme Book
edited by Letty and Frank Littlewood, preface by S.R.L.*
London: Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co. Ltd, [no date] circa 1916
Charmingly illustrated by Honor C. Appleton (1879-1951), with thirteen colour plates (including title page and frontispiece) plus numerous b/w drawings throughout.
Not dated however the gift inscriptions are dated 1916. The British Library dates this title as [1912] from the London publishers of Herbert & Daniel. This copy published by Simpkin, &c., however from copies seen in this ‘deluxe’ style binding, and cloth colour variants apart, both publisher’s editions are seemingly identical. A ‘cheaper’ edition from Simpkin &c. has also been seen in a plain blue cloth with black titles to spine and front board, plate onlay to front with black border, a more coarse paper text page, and no plate guard pages.
Hardback – publisher’s cloth with gilt titles and decoration to spine and front board, illustrated endpapers, top edge gilt. pp xiv, 181, [1] colophon, including b/w illustrations plus colour plates with titled guards. 8.25 x 6.25 inches approx. (208mm x 159mm).
Cloth lightly worn and rubbed to extremities, a little grubby and marked in places, some bubbling to lower margin of boards; lightly knocked and worn to spine ends. Foxing and offsetting to endpapers, a dated gift inscription in pencil to front; a partially erased pencilled inscription to verso of frontispiece; occasional foxing, some dustiness or marking, but generally pages clean throughout; occasional corner crease or handling wear to pages but otherwise in good order; spotted and dusty to edges of page-block.
Overall, showing some wear but otherwise a nicely preserved copy – very attractive.
[SOLD]
ref. The Dictionary of 20th Century Illustrators by Alan Horne (Antique Collectors Club, 1994)
*[Samuel Robinson Littlewood] British Library
