This beautiful edition of Helen's Babies with Some Account of their Ways - Innocent, Crafty, Angelic, Impish, Witching and Repulsive...written by their latest victim!
It was published by Adam and Co but the book is undated. After some research, I'd estimate it to be mid to late 1870's. It's either a First or very early edition of this amusing work. It's bound in late half blue Morocco with marbled paper boards. The original pictorial yellow wrappers have been bound into the book.
It's in very good condition but there is fading to the spine and minor chipping to the surface of the leather along the spine. There is a small splash mark to the front.
This short humorous novel about a bachelor given charge of two young children became an instant success from it's first appearance in America in 1876. Numerous editions, some pirated, followed on both sides of the Atlantic.
Inside, there are marbled endpapers and as mentioned above, the original front and back cover have been bound into the book. There's a tinted lithograph frontispiece and publisher's adverts to the end of the book. The pages show sporadic foxing but are otherwise clean and bright.
Dimensions approximately 15.4cm x 11.8cm x 1.3cm.
The book will arrive hand wrapped in biodegradable bubble wrap, patterned paper and ribbon.
I use a range of eco friendly, 100% recyclable jiffy bags and boxes, and whenever possible I use brown paper tape. The green bubble wrap is biodegradable and the clear bubble wrap is 100% recyclable. I also reuse boxes when I feel it's appropriate (if the boxes are sturdy enough).