1900 Scarce Book - Our Nursery Rhyme Book illustrated by Honor C. Appleton

Author: Edited by Letty and Frank Littlewood. Illustrated by Honor C. Appleton.
Title: Our Nursery Rhyme Book.
Publisher: London, Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co., Ltd., (1900). First thus.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 8 x 6.5 inches.
Pages: xiv, 181 pages.
Binding: Attractive and very good publisher’s original blue cloth binding, lettered in black to front cover and spine, with a mounted color illustration to the upper cover (hinges fine, overall slightly worn and scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover. A charming and decorative binding.
Content: Very good content (bright, tight and clean, rare light foxing mainly to preliminary and final endpapers - as shown). 
Illustrations: Illustrated with thirteen colour plates including the illustrated title page and the frontispiece and numerous black-and-white illustrations by Honour C. Appleton; delicate, atmospheric artwork characteristic of the golden age of children’s illustration.

Estimate: (USD 225–250).

The book: A delightful early 20th-century collection of traditional nursery rhymes, edited by Letty and Frank Littlewood and brought vividly to life through the illustrations of Honor C. Appleton; the volume gathers beloved verses including Mother Goose’s Own, Little Polly Flinders, and many classic rhymes and children’s games, presenting them in a carefully arranged and visually engaging format; Appleton’s illustrations, rendered in soft tones and gentle compositions, evoke a world of childhood imagination filled with warmth and quiet narrative charm; the mounted cover illustration, depicting children drifting among pages and dreams, beautifully encapsulates the spirit of the book; an appealing example of Edwardian juvenile publishing, equally suited for collectors and admirers of classic children’s literature.

The illustrator: Honor Charlotte Appleton (1879–1951) was a noted British illustrator associated with the golden age of children’s book illustration; her work, often compared to that of Jessie M. King and Mabel Lucie Attwell, is distinguished by its tenderness, subtle color palette, and intimate portrayal of childhood; her illustrations remain highly collectible today.