This is a guest post by digital library specialist Elizabeth Gettins. It coincides with the posting of additional illustrations from the Library’s 1895 edition of Robert Louis Stevenson’s “A Child’s Garden of Verses” on the Library’s Pinterest site.
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–94) spent his childhood in the cold and damp of Edinburgh, Scotland, his dedicated nanny by his side, often nursing his frail constitution back to health from frequent illnesses. From a young age, these forced convalescences honed Stevenson’s imagination and gave him the time to perfect his skills as a writer. These early circumstances created Stevenson’s life calling as an artist and author as he went on to become one of the most beloved fiction writers in the Victorian era with his best-known works being “Treasure Island,” “Kidnapped” and “The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.”
A Child’s Garden of Verses is another classic by Stevenson; in many ways, it is a biography of his early life set to poetry. Stevenson wrote it when he was 35 years old, recalling his childhood joys and cares. Instantly popular, the work went through several editions, and many of its poems became well loved, including “Foreign Lands,” “The Lamplighter,” “The Land of Counterpane,” “Bed in Summer,” “My Shadow” and “The Swing,” to name a few. The work is available in its entirety among a selection of digitized rare books the Library makes available on its website.
“A Child’s Garden of Verses” is notable not only for its prose, but also for its illustrations — it launched the career of an Englishman by the name of Charles Robinson (1870–1937). From a family of illustrators, he went on to become quite prolific, illustrating many children’s books. The fully illustrated edition of “A Child’s Garden of Verses” was first published in 1895 and includes over 100 pen-and-ink drawings. Paging through this digital representation, it is evident that Robinson excelled at intricate work and interpreted Stevenson’s poems with a stylized, fanciful expression that has a marked Art Nouveau flavor. Many of the illustrations also include elegant lettering, helping to meld the text together with the scene at hand. Scroll down for more examples.
Related Resources
- The Library’s 1895 edition has been digitized from the Rare Book and Special Collections Division’s Oliver Wendell Holmes Library.
- The Library’s Pinterest board features this very edition: A Child’s Garden of Verses.
Comments (10)
The moon was always my favorite.
He seemed so big and kind
Wonderful words, beautifully spoken.
My children loved them, as well
Imagine, —-in my ninetieth year——— to remember.
Thank you for this.
I am so very happy that this blog post found you and that you’ve rediscovered this book! Your words are so touching. Thank you for sharing.
I immediately recognize these drawings which I had long ago forgotten! Off to find whichever book I have with this illustrator’s work. Thank you for sharing. What magnificent work!
To Joyce McCormick I’d be interesting in learning if you found your book with Charles Robinson illustrations. It would be fun to know the title.
I am a fan of rare books myself, especially children’s books. However, I would like to suggest you also include this link in your information, since it gives another point of view that is important to consider.
Thank you
https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/2020/09/reckoning-with-childs-garden-of-verses.html
“A child should always say what’s true, and speak when he spoken to, and behave mannerly at the, at least as far as he able”
I own a 1902 edition of The Child’s Garden of Verses in good shape. Is there any value in this edition?
Thank you
Hi there,
The LOC doesn’t appraise or evaluate books. However, there are reference and commercial sites that offer rare/used books for sale, and you can get a rough idea of how much your book is worth by comparing it to similar copies of the same edition. Two popular umbrella sites that booksellers use to offer their wares are abebooks.com and bookfinder.com. You could also try ebay, which is open to private sellers. If you think your book is worth a fair amount, you would want to have it appraised to be certain. (Book editions are tricky, and small flaws can cut the value of the book drastically.) Look online in your area for references; most rare/used stores will know a specialist.
For your particular book, it’s worth noting that the book was first published in 1885, so your copy is a later version. One word of caution: “First edition” does NOT necessarily mean the first time the book was published. It just means the first time that edition. A paperback, illustrated, large print, etc, could all be accurately advertised as “first editions,” without it being the first time the book was published. The most valuable copy is the first publication.
Good luck,
Neely
I have a book call child’s garden of verses and it is not in good condition and I would like to find out the value of the book and how much would it cost me to have it restored
Hi James,
The short answer: Book values vary greatly, determined by the demand for the volume and the condition it is in. To obtain as assessment, both of your particular volume and the cost of repairing it, you’ll want to search for an antiquarian book assessor or bookbinding shop in your area. Second-hand bookstores with a rare books section are often good places to start for both. As we are a government agency, we can’t recommend any particular service, but there are plenty out there.
All best,
Neely