A charming and increasingly scarce example of late Victorian juvenile fiction by the popular author Sarah Doudney, retaining its highly decorative original publisher's cloth binding. Bound in brown pictorial cloth elaborately stamped in gilt and black, the design cleverly imitates a rustic wooden gate or fence with vertical slats, creating an attractive Arts and Crafts-era appearance. Lettering and decorative elements remain bright and appealing.
Illustrated with the original frontispiece by Edith Taylor, one of the notable female illustrators working in children's publishing during the Victorian period.
Condition
Original prize presentation inscription/card awarded to Edith Horsnell by head teacher A. N. Webber.
All gilt edges bright and unworn.
Excellent internal condition with thick, clean pages and only mild toning to the front endpaper.
Sound spine and hinges,
Original decorative publisher's binding in attractive condition, with only minor corner bumping.
Frontispiece present and bright.
Sarah Doudney was a prolific and widely read Victorian novelist and writer of children's fiction whose works reflected themes of family life, morality, and social change. While once commonplace in Victorian households, many of her titles were heavily read and relatively few survive today in attractive original bindings.
Michaelmas Daisy is particularly sought after in its original publisher's cloth because:
The distinctive binding is an excellent example of Victorian decorative book design.
Copies retaining their original cloth are increasingly difficult to locate.
The frontispiece by Edith Taylor adds further collectible interest.
Victorian girls' fiction has become an increasingly popular collecting field, especially titles illustrating the social and cultural values of the late nineteenth century.
Original, unrestored examples offer both literary and decorative appeal for collectors of Victorian books, girls' school stories, and nineteenth-century illustrated literature.
