KINGSLEY, Charles (author). Mabel Lucie ATTWELL (illustrator). The Water Babies. London; Raphael Tuck & Sons, Ltd. [1921]

4to. Original red cloth-backed glazed pictorial boards, spine lettered in black, plain endpapers; pp. [vii] + 144, including adverts; with cover design, chapter-heaadings, tailpieces and text illustrations in line and a total of 12 fine coloured plates by Mabel Lucie Attwell; an attractive copy with overall light dusting, shelf-rubbing to edges of boards, tiny wear to forecorners, and some browning to lower cover; internally clean and fresh, with a couple of spots to fore-edge of book block and light foxing and toning to half-title and title, with a neat gift inscription to front free endpaper dated 1921.

Early edition illustrated by Attwell, published in Raphael Tuck’s House Library series, and retaining the full complement of 12 coloured plates. This edition first appeared in 1915 and went through several reprints, many with a reduced number of illustrations. This is one of Attwell’s most fondly admired commissions.