
Mark Twain. Editorial Wild Oats. Illustrated by F. Strothman. New York and London, Harper Brothers, 1905. First Edition.
via: The Internet Archive
Mark Twain. Editorial Wild Oats. Illustrated by F. Strothman. New York and London, Harper Brothers, 1905. First Edition.
via: The Internet Archive
It’s Mark Twain week here at The Art of Book Design, but maybe not the Mark Twain you’re expecting. I’m going to feature first editions of some of Twain’s less famous works throughout the week, and on Saturday I’ll be sharing one of my favourite books of all time in an extended post that will include lots of pictures. Let’s leap into the week (groan) with The Jumping Frog.
Mark Twain. The Jumping Frog. Illustrated by F. Strothman. New York and London, Harper and Brothers, 1903. First Edition.
Mark Twain. The Jumping Frog. Illustrated by F. Strothman. New York and London, Harper and Brothers, 1903. Original dust jacket.
Cover Photos via: Books Tell You Why.com
The Story can be read (in a different edition) at The Internet Archive
William Morris. Love is Enough; or, The Freeing of Pharamond, a morality. Boston, Roberts brothers, 1873.
via: The Internet Archive
Anna Alice Chapin. Illustrated by Jessie Wilcox Smith. The Now-A-Days Fairy Book. New York, Dodd Mead Company, 1911.
The fairy book this week is a short one with only 2 illustrations, but the story is charming and the artwork is sweet. I’m in love with the picture of the teddy bears, but the monkey is pretty cute, too. Enjoy.
Clay, John Cecil and Herford, Oliver. New York, Published for ye Publick Goode by C. Scribner’s Sons, 1911.
via: The Internet Archive
via: The Internet Archive
Margaret Vandegrift. Illustrated by E.B. Bensell. The Absent Minded Fairy. Philadelphia, Ketterlinus Printing House, 1884.
The digital scans of this book contain a bit of extra love. Many of the pages have been hand-coloured in crayon to add a flourish to the original drawings, and I find them utterly charming. My favourite is page 19 with the elephant up a tree. The artwork is Victorian in flavour and the story itself is sweet and well told. I’ve included the first page that is without artwork because the opening sentence is delightful and sets the tone for all that follows. You’ll find all of the full-sized plates below the fold. Enjoy.
Harry Price. The Most Haunted House in England: Ten years investigation of Borley Rectory. London, New York, Toronto; Longmans, Green and Co., 1940.
via: The Internet Archive