THOMSON, Hugh, illustrator; DICKENS, Charles; LIMITED EDITIONS CLUB; GOLDEN COCKEREL PRESS — Cricket on the Hearth, the

New York: The Golden Cockerel Press printed for.. The Limited Editions Club, 1933. Charles Dickens' The Cricket on the Hearth Illustrated by Hugh Thomson THOMSON, Hugh, illustrator. DICKENS, Charles. The Cricket on the Hearth. A Fairy Tale of Home by Charles Dickens and seven posthumous illustrations by Hugh Thomson. [Waltham Saint Lawrence, Berkshire:]: The Golden Cockerel Press printed for.. The Limited Editions Club, 1933. One of 1,500 numbered copies of which this is number 1086. Folio, [x], [1-2}, 3-70, [71], [1, blank], [1, Limitation Leaf], [5, blank] pp. Seven full page color illustrations by Hugh Thomson. Publisher's yellow cloth, front cover with cockerel stamped in green, spine lettered in green, top edge stained blue, others uncut. Spine very slightly darkened, still a near fine copy in the original purple card slipcase, label on spine. Slipcase a little worn. Hugh Thomson was born in County Coleraine near Londonderry, on 1 June 1860. He gained praise and influenced many young artists through his book illustrations. He notably illustrated editions of William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, J.M. Barrie and Oliver Goldsmith. The Cricket on the Hearth tells the story of John Peerybingle, a kind-hearted carrier, his young wife Dot, and their baby, where a cricket chirping on their hearth acts as a symbol of their happiness and good fortune; when challenges arise, like a jealous neighbor trying to sow discord, the cricket's chirping helps restore harmony and love within the family, ultimately leading to a heartwarming resolution, especially around Christmas time. .