1889 Rare Book - Little Wide-Awake: An Illustrated Magazine for Children
Author: Mrs. Sale Barker (editor). Illustrated by M. E. E., Charlotte Weeks, Adrien Marie, E. Zier, Giacomelli, Alice Bach, Kate Greenaway, and others.
Title: Little Wide-Awake: An Illustrated Magazine for Children.
Publisher: London, George Routledge and Sons, 1889. First Edition.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 9.5 x 7.5 inches.
Pages: 376 pages plus publisher's advertisements.
Binding: Very good original publisher's pictorial red-brick cloth binding, decoratively stamped in black, gilt, and cream on the front cover and spine. The binding remains bright and attractive with only light general wear and minor rubbing consistent with age. Protected in a removable mylar cover.
Content: Very good content with foxing and occasional light staining, chiefly on the preliminary and final pages. A discreet repair to the verso of the frontispiece was executed by a previous owner. The text and illustrations remain remarkably fresh and attractive overall.
Illustrations: Profusely illustrated throughout with numerous full-page and in-text illustrations by a distinguished group of late Victorian artists, including several attractive plates after Kate Greenaway and dramatic black-and-white illustrations accompanying fairy tales, poems, and stories. Complete as issued.
Estimate: (USD $200–250).
The book: Little Wide-Awake was one of the most charming and successful Victorian children's annuals, combining fairy tales, adventure stories, poems, educational pieces, and richly illustrated features into a handsome gift book intended for family reading. The 1889 volume contains an eclectic assortment of classic fairy tales, original fiction, poetry, and moral lessons, reflecting the ideals and imagination of late nineteenth-century childhood. Beautifully produced by George Routledge and Sons, it captures the golden age of illustrated children's publishing, when advances in printing technology allowed publishers to create lavish annuals that were both educational and visually captivating. The decorative publisher's binding and wealth of illustrations make this a particularly appealing survivor from the Victorian nursery.
The editor: Mrs. Sale Barker was a prolific Victorian editor and writer associated with children's literature and juvenile magazines. Through Little Wide-Awake, she helped shape the reading habits of a generation of young readers by assembling contributions from leading authors and illustrators of the period. Her editorial work emphasized imagination, moral development, and wholesome entertainment, all hallmarks of late Victorian children's publishing.
The illustrators: This volume features artwork by a remarkable group of Victorian and continental illustrators. Among them is Kate Greenaway (1846–1901), one of the most beloved illustrators of the nineteenth century, celebrated for her idyllic depictions of childhood that influenced fashion, illustration, and children's literature throughout the English-speaking world. Adrien Marie (1848–1891) contributed dramatic narrative illustrations distinguished by their expressive storytelling, while artists such as Charlotte Weeks, Alice Bach, Giacomelli, and E. Zier enriched the volume with decorative and imaginative imagery. Together, their work creates a visual record of the flourishing artistic culture that defined the golden age of Victorian children's books.