Molesworth, Mrs. [Mary Louisa Molesworth]

The Adventures of Herr Baby [1881 First Edition] [Walter Crane Illustrations] [Fine Binding]

London: Macmillan and Co., 1881. First Edition, First Printing.
A Landmark of Victorian Nursery Literature. A beautifully preserved first printing of one of Mrs. Molesworth’s most charming efforts.

Known as the Jane Austen of the Nursery, Molesworth captured the nuances of childhood speech and duty with a psychological depth that was revolutionary for the period. This edition is elevated by 12 wood-engraved plates on tinted backgrounds by Walter Crane, the "Academician of the Nursery." This copy has been elegantly rebound in full levant morocco, with the original gilt-designed cloth cover meticulously preserved and bound-in at the terminal leaf.

KEY FEATURES
+++ Provenance of Design: Original pictorial cloth cover, designed by Walter Crane, is preserved and attached to a blank leaf in the rear.
+++ Illustrations: 12 full-page wood-engraved plates on tinted backgrounds by Walter Crane; this represents one of the artist's earliest and most influential collaborations with Molesworth.
+++ Bibliographic State: True First Edition, First Printing (London: Macmillan, 1881).
+++ Binding: Finely bound in full tan levant morocco with gilt rules, corner designs, and dark morocco spine labels.

CONDITION: Near Fine -- The leather is supple and bright with only faint rubbing to the bottom corners. Internals show occasional light foxing, though the text and plates remain remarkably clean and crisp. The top edge is stained tan to match the binding. A superior, gift-quality example.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE --
Mary Louisa Molesworth was the bridge between the moralizing tales of the early 1800s and the Golden Age of Children's Literature. The Adventures of Herr Baby is celebrated for its authentic (if stylized) depiction of early childhood language—the famous 'lisping' style—and its emphasis on the Victorian virtues of self-sacrifice and duty.

SUBJECTS: Victorian Children's Literature, Walter Crane, Fine Bindings, 19th Century Illustration, Nursery Tales, Fine Press, Illustrated Books.

Ref: The Osborne Collection of Early Children's Books; Muir, Victorian Illustrated Books, pp. 175-177.

Item #21617

Price: $275.00