1885 Marigold Garden by Kate Greenaway 1st Edition

Born in London in 1846, Kate Greenaway became the most popular female English illustrator of the 19th century. She began her career designing Christmas and Valentine cards for Marcus Ward, one of the pre-eminent Victorian era card and book printers. In 1879, wood-block engraver and color printer, Edmund Evans, printed UNDER THE WINDOW, an instant best seller both written and illustrated by Greenaway. This volume of illustrated verse established Greenaway’s reputation. Her depictions of children in imagined costumes in a turn of the 19th century style were extremely popular in England and internationally. Within a few years of the publication of UNDER THE WINDOW, Greenaway's work was imitated in England, Germany and the United States.

I am pleased to offer a first edition of the only other book that Kate Greenaway both wrote and illustrated, MARIGOLD GARDEN. Like UNDER THE WINDOW, it was printed in colours by Edmund Evans. Although undated, it was believed to have been published in 1885 by George Routledge & Sons in London. The book is 9” x 10 ½”. It is hardcover, glazed full color pictorial boards, with a purple cloth spine. There are sixty pages of poems with framed full or half page illustrations or vignettes on every double page spread.

This copy of MARIGOLD GARDEN has been well read but it's a treasure nevertheless, since first editions of MARIGOLD GARDEN are hard to come by. The cover corners are bumped and rubbed and the edges are worn. There is paper loss on the back cover and a small corner on the front. The pages are, smudged, foxed and toned at the edges and a number are chipped at the binding. The pages are solidly bound but there is a split at page 12. Please examine the photos and feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

While you are here, do enjoy the other children’s books I have available at this time. Thank you for visiting my shop today.