1922 First Gift Edition - Adventures of a Brownie illustrated by Maria L. Kirk
Author: Miss Dinah Maria Mulock (Craik). Illustrated by Maria L. Kirk.
Title: The Adventures of a Brownie, The Little Lame Prince, and Poor Prin.
Publisher: Philadelphia and London: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1922.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 9" × 7".
Pages: 280 pages.
Binding: Attractive and very good publisher’s original tan cloth binding, front cover and spine decorated with charming elfin and child figures in brown, surrounding a mounted color plate within a decorative border. Spine lettered and illustrated in black (hinges fine, overall slightly worn and scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover.
Content: Very good content (bright, tight and clean, rare light foxing and toning - as shown).
Illustrations: Beautifully illustrated with 14 color plates by Maria L. Kirk, including the delightful frontispiece “Turning over on legs and arms like a Catherine wheel,” as well as numerous decorative silhouettes and vignettes in sepia throughout. (Complete).
The book: A lovely 1922 First Gift Edition of Miss Mulock’s beloved children’s tales, combining The Adventures of a Brownie, The Little Lame Prince, and Poor Prin in one attractively illustrated volume. This edition, published by J. B. Lippincott, captures the warmth and magic of Victorian domestic fairy tales through the delicate and nostalgic artistry of Maria L. Kirk.
Kirk’s expressive illustrations—rich in color and tenderness—bring to life Mulock’s imaginative stories of kindness, humility, and gentle moral lessons. From the mischievous household sprite of Brownie to the tender perseverance of The Little Lame Prince, the volume remains a timeless emblem of early 20th-century gift-book charm and craftsmanship.
The author: Dinah Maria Mulock Craik (1826–1887), best known as Miss Mulock, was a prominent English novelist and poet of the Victorian era. Celebrated for John Halifax, Gentleman (1856) and her moral fairy tales, she infused children’s literature with both sentiment and quiet wisdom, influencing a generation of young readers and writers alike.
The illustrator: Maria Louise Kirk (1860–1938) was an American illustrator renowned for her luminous watercolor plates in children’s classics, including Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, The Secret Garden, and Adventures of a Brownie. Her work is noted for its gentle realism, harmonious color palette, and its ability to balance fantasy with emotional warmth — qualities that make this edition particularly desirable to collectors of Golden Age illustration.