Dainty Bits. Water Lily Series. Edited by Miss L. Penney. New York, The National Temperance Society and Publication House, 1891.
A children’s book full of stories and rhymes about the evils of alcohol. Some of the chapter titles include “Old Pussy’s Advice” and “Thoughtless Dick.”
Source – University of Florida, George Smithers Libraries, where you can read the entire book
Today’s beautiful old book comes from the collection of Anne, Cranky Cat Lady.
Charles Hitchcock Sherrill. Stained Glass Tours in England. London, J. Lane, The Bodley Head, 1909.
For anyone interested, the entire book can be accessed at the Internet Archive.
Madeline Brandeis. Little Anne of Canada. New York, Grossett and Dunlap, 1931.
Happy Canada Day!
via: Abe books
Lafcadio Hearn. Japan an Interpretation. McMillen Co., 1924. – source
Photo by Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County on flickr
Arabian Nights. Edited by Hildegard Hawthorne, illustrated by Virginia Frances Sterrett. Philadelphia, The Penn Publishing Company, 1928.
Arabian Nights is the last book illustrated by Virginia Sterrett before her death in 1931 at the age of 30. It was a huge undertaking for Sterrett who was quite sick with tuberculosis and living in sanatorium at the time. The artist was able to work for only brief periods each day and the book took a total of 3 years to complete. Sterrett experienced a brief improvement in her health in 1929 and was able to return home for a time. She even began work on a new book for Penn Publishing in 1930 – Myths and Legends – but she was unable to complete the work. Many people consider Arabian Nights to be the finest work that Sterrett produced. Enjoy!
Pain, Barry. Stories and Interludes. New York, Harper & Brothers, 1892
It’s batty, but I like the heart-shaped heads set against a fingerprint moon.
via: The Internet Archive
Martin Doyle. The Illustrated Book of Domestic Poultry. Philadelphia, Porter & Coates, 1892.
Because chickens are beautiful. And it’s what’s for dinner tonight.
Black Breasted Malay
Ghou Rook Rumple (Silk Fowl Chicken)
via: The Internet Archive, where you can view all the illustrations, including the ducks and geese.
Adolph Strekfuss. The Lonely House. Translated from German by A.L. Wister. Philadelphia, London : J.B. Lippincott Company, 1907. – source
via: The Internet Archive
J. Rothschild, editor. Les Papillons de France. Paris, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), 1880
Gleeson White, editor. An Illustrated Gift Book for Boys and Girls. Cover and end-papers designed by Paul Woodroffe. London, H. Henry and Co. Limited, 1897.
The interior illustrations were done by a variety of artists and I’ve put a few of them below the fold for anyone who’s interested.
Cordelia Harris Turner. The Floral Kingdom. Chicago: M. Warren, 1877 — Source.
Tanglewood Tales, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, illustrations by Virginia Frances Sterrett; 1921; Philadelphia, Penn Publishing Company
As promised, today we’re looking at the second book illustrated by Virginia Sterrett, Tanglewood Tales by Hawthorne, and the artwork is just as beautiful as that in Sterrett ‘s first book, Old French Fairy Tales. The soft flowing lines and attention to small details are still present, but there’s more boldness in the colour palette and, perhaps because of this, a different quality of light. Sterrett was only 20 when she completed this work and was already sick with the tuberculosis that would eventually take her life.
Enjoy! [Read more…]
Augustus Thomas. The Witching Hour. New York, Grosset & Dunlap, 1908. – source
via: The Internet Archive
