Charles Kingsley — The Water-Babies

New York, Dodd, Mead, & Company, 1916. Cloth. A colourfully illustrated edition of Charles Kingsley's immensely popular Victorian children's novel, illustrated in colour throughout by Jessie Willcox Smith. The first thus of Jessie Willcox Smith's illustrations.'The Water-Babies' is a children's fairy tale that was extremely popular when it was published. The novel follows Tom, a young chimney sweep, who falls into a river and is transformed into a water-baby.Illustrated with a colour frontispiece, eleven colour plates, and colour vignettes throughout.Collated, complete.Written by Charles Kingsley. Kingsley was a priest for the Church of England, and was a friend and correspondent of Charles Darwin, writing this novel partly in satire of 'In Origin of Species&apos.Illustrated by Jessie Willcox Smith, active during the Golden Age of American illustrations, contributing to many prominent publications.Bookplate to the reverse of the frontispiece, 'Fiorenza Johnson&apos. In the original publisher's cloth binding. Externally, smart, with a few light marks to the boards and spine. Light bumping to the head and tail of the spine and to the extremities. A little rubbing to the spine. Internally, generally firmly bound. Pages are bright and clean with a few odd handling marks, very clean for a children's work. Small closed tear to the tail of the frontispiece. Frontispiece is a little wrinkled. Bookplate to the reverse of the frontispiece. Plate facing page 158 is detached but present. Good . Ill.: Jessie Willcox Smith. Good .