1911 Rare First Edition Book - The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Author: Frances Hodgson Burnett.
Illustrator: Maria Louise Kirk.
Title: The Secret Garden.
Publisher: New York, Frederick Stokes, 1911. First American edition.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 7.5" x 5.5".
Pages: 375 pages.
Binding: Attractive and good to very good and original cloth-covered boards with the large pictorial pastedown on the front cover (hinges fine, overall slightly scuffed and worn mainly at the spine extremities - as shown) under a protective, removable mylar cover.  
Content: Very good content (bright, tight and clean, rare light foxing or staining - as shown).
Illustrations: Beautifully illustrated by Maria Louise Kirk. (Complete with the colour frontis and 3 full-page plates). 

Estimate: (USD 500 - USD 950)

The book: This 1911 Frederick A. Stokes First American edition of The Secret Garden is among the most beautiful illustrated American printings of Burnett’s beloved children’s classic. Featuring Maria Louise Kirk’s tender color plates, it captures the transformation of Mary Lennox, the sickly and spoiled orphan who discovers healing, joy, and rebirth within the walled garden of Misselthwaite Manor. With its evocative illustrations and decorative publisher’s binding, this edition represents a sought-after collectible, merging literature, art, and the charm of Edwardian book design.

The author: Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849–1924) was an Anglo-American novelist and playwright whose works became cornerstones of children’s literature. Best remembered for Little Lord Fauntleroy (1886), A Little Princess (1905), and The Secret Garden (1911), she was celebrated for her ability to combine social commentary with enchanting storytelling. The Secret Garden, first published in 1911, remains one of the most enduring children’s novels of the twentieth century, praised for its themes of renewal, friendship, and the restorative power of nature.

The illustrator: Maria Louise Kirk (1860–1938) was an American illustrator known for her delicate and expressive depictions in children’s books. Her work on The Secret Garden is considered one of the defining early illustrated interpretations, enhancing Burnett’s narrative with warmth and imagination. Kirk’s art continues to charm collectors and readers alike, securing her place among the most admired illustrators of the Edwardian era.