1914 Rare Book - The Secret Garden by Frances H. Burnett and Charles Robinson

A lovely early illustrated impression of The Secret Garden, beautifully presented in its original gilt-decorated cloth with Charles Robinson’s dreamlike colour plates.

Author: Frances Hodgson Burnett. Illustrated by Charles Robinson.
Title: The Secret Garden.
Publisher: London, William Heinemann, 1914. Fourth Impression.  
Language: Text in English.
Size: 8 x 6 inches.
Pages: vii-306 pages + publisher’s catalogue.
Binding: Very good original green cloth binding, gilt-lettered on the upper cover and spine, with a charming gilt pictorial design of a young girl holding a flowerpot on the front board. Light shelfwear, mild rubbing to corners and spine ends, and some toning/fading to the spine, as shown. Protected in a removable mylar cover. 
Content: Very good content. Scattered foxing and occasional margin staining, toning to endpapers, and a gift note of a previous owner on the first endpaper, as shown. Overall a clean and attractive copy.
Illustrations: Complete with the 8 full-page colour illustrations by Charles Robinson, including the frontispiece, as listed. The plates are beautifully preserved and retain Robinson’s delicate, atmospheric style.

Estimate: USD $300-$350.

The book: The Secret Garden is Frances Hodgson Burnett’s beloved classic of childhood, renewal, and hidden beauty. Following Mary Lennox from loneliness and resentment toward friendship, discovery, and emotional awakening, the novel remains one of the great garden stories in children’s literature. This 1914 fourth impression of the handsome Heinemann edition is especially appealing for its decorative gilt binding and Charles Robinson’s evocative colour illustrations, which lend the story a soft, dreamlike Edwardian atmosphere.

The author: Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849-1924) was a British-American novelist and playwright, best remembered for Little Lord Fauntleroy, A Little Princess, and The Secret Garden. Her finest children’s books combine sentiment, resilience, and transformation, often centering on young characters who discover strength through imagination, kindness, and a renewed sense of belonging.

The illustrator: Charles Robinson (1870-1937) was a noted British illustrator associated with the Golden Age of book illustration. Brother of Thomas Heath Robinson and William Heath Robinson, he brought a refined decorative sensibility to children’s books, blending graceful line work, soft colour, and an elegant Arts and Crafts influence.