This interesting example of 19th century religious fiction for the young shows the danger of jumping to conclusions. Dated 1880, it gives the impression of being the first edition, since no previous editions are mentioned on the reverse of the title page. However, a quick look at ABE shows that there is at least one earlier edition on sale (1876) and that some later ones also give the impression that they too are the first edition !
The reason for this was that publishers of this era often saw no point in providing edition information for children`s books - that was something for adult books only. Even so, I am a little surprised in this instance - the market for highly decorative volumes of religious and/or instructive books to be used as church/school prizes was a lucrative one for many publishers, and it`s surprising that no-one thought this might one day become a collectable item, given the care that`s been lavished on it in production.
There isn`t quite the market there once was for books of this sort, but they still do make an attractive addition to anyone`s collection and are in fact a piece of history in their own right.
Interestingly, this one has a handwritten gift inscription (usually they had prize stickers) indicating that it was given to one Mary Clarke as a Sunday School Prize in Christmas 1880. There is one other word, which is not easily readable, but I believe it is `Ilkeston`, the name of a town in Derbyshire.
As you`ll see, the book is showing it`s age a little, with noticeable wear to the cover. On the other hand, it is remarkably good for 130 years old.
The book is number 3613 in our listings and should be online within 12 hours.
As you`ll appreciate, this blog only contains a few `selected highlights` from our stock, but you can use the `Buy Books` links to explore further.
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