SONGS WITH MUSIC FROM A CHILD'S GARDEN OF VERSES. By R.L. Stevenson, music by Rev. Thomas Crawford. Drawings by Margaret Tarrant. Not dated (but 1915, British Library). T.C. & E.C. Jack. Hardback, pictorial board, 10½" x 8", 55pp.
A Child's Garden of Verses is a collection of poetry for children about childhood, illness, play and solitude by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894). Margaret Winifred Tarrant (1888–1959) was an English illustrator, and children's author, specialising in depictions of fairy-like children and religious subjects.
This book of Songs With Music has been well used, sustaining wear and tear, exhibiting handling marks and line markings, and missing one leaf. This is reflected in the price - please read the description carefully.
Cover: boards with cream spine strip. Cream papers pasted to front and rear, rubbed and grubby. Pictorial on front. Corners bumped, boards exposed. Spine bumped at head and base, lightly marked along its length.
Contents: cream endpapers, clean. Pencil inscription (dated1918) at top of front pastedown. Binding shaky, hinges cracked in several places. Lower half of spine strip visible between pages before contents page, all of spine strip exposed between pp24-25, pp32-33 and pp46-47.
Pages have occasional handling marks, closed tears around edges on a number of pages, including 2" on p26, 1" on p15 and several smaller. Pencil marks on majority of songs - first two songs (of 12) have vertical lines on score and alongside first verse of lyrics; majority of remainder have small ticks on score and lyrics. One leaf (pages 41 & 42) missing - title page and first part of score for Farewell To The Farm.
All text and musical notation is clear and sharp, excellent illustrations by Margaret Tarrant. Each song has title page with b&w line drawing, music score with colour illustration at head, and verses (lyrics). Illustrations are clean, colours vibrant.
Please review accompanying photographs for an appreciation of the quality of, and the issues with, this book.
Postage: second class in the UK; via eBay's Global Shipping Programme to all other destinations.