1864 First Edition - Nursery Nonsense; or, Rhymes Without Reason, Illustrated
Author: D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson. Illustrated by Charles H. Bennett.
Title: Nursery Nonsense; or, Rhymes Without Reason.
Publisher: London, Griffith and Farran (successors to Newbery and Harris), 1864. First Edition.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 7.5 x 5.5 inches.
Pages: viii + 56 pages + 32-page publisher’s catalogue (“Original Juvenile Library”).
Binding: Attractive and very good original publisher’s blue pebble-grain cloth binding, richly decorated in blind and with an elaborate gilt pictorial vignette to the upper cover and spine (hinges fine, overall slightly worn and scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover. A scarce and very attractive and well-preserved example.
Content: Very good content (bright, tight and clean, rare light foxing and staining - as shown). Complete with the full 32-page publisher’s catalogue at the rear.
Illustrations: Hand-coloured frontispiece, pictorial title, and numerous wood-engraved illustrations throughout by Charles H. Bennett, full of whimsical and lively detail.
Estimate: (USD 450–750).
The book: A delightful and increasingly scarce Victorian children’s book, Nursery Nonsense captures the playful absurdity and imaginative freedom that defined the golden age of nonsense literature; published in 1864, the same fertile literary period that gave rise to the works of Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear, this charming collection presents a series of whimsical verses filled with absurd characters, comic situations, and inventive wordplay; Charles H. Bennett’s illustrations animate the text with remarkable energy, blending humor and visual invention in a way that anticipates later developments in children’s book illustration; copies in original cloth, especially with such a bright and decorative gilt cover, are now uncommon, and the presence of the publisher’s catalogue further enhances its appeal to collectors.
The author: D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson was a Scottish scholar and classicist whose literary output included works of light verse and children’s literature; though later overshadowed by contemporaries such as Lewis Carroll, his contribution to Victorian nonsense literature reflects the same spirit of linguistic playfulness and imaginative storytelling that defined the genre.
The illustrator: Charles H. Bennett was one of the most inventive illustrators of the Victorian period, known for his humorous and dynamic wood engravings; his work bridges the tradition of early caricature and the emerging world of illustrated children’s books, and he remains particularly admired for his ability to bring movement, wit, and personality to even the smallest vignette.