The Water Babies.

£175 · Offered by Shapero Rare Books

A handsome early edition of Charles Kingsley's classic tale The Water Babies. In the story, the protagonist - a young boy called Tom - falls into a river and is transformed into a magical creature called a Water Baby. The tale can be read as both a fable of Christian redemption and a comment on the bad treatment of England's poor. This early printing contains beautiful illustrations by Warwick Goble. Early printing; large 8vo (21.5 x 16 cm); frontispiece and 15 further colour illustrations by Warwick Goble throughout, two very small ownership stamps to front endpapers, slight foxing to half-title, very occasional small spot or mark, else a clean, very good copy; publisher's red cloth boards with gilt illustration to upper board, spine lettered in gilt, top edge gilt, light spotting to endpapers, spine a little faded, tiny mark to lower board, else very good; [viii], 274pp, [2]pp.

• Binding: Hardcover

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