Field, Eugene; Parrish, Maxfield

Poems of Childhood

New York, NY: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1904. First Edition. Hardcover. "With big tin trumpet and little red drum,/ Marching like soldiers, the children come!/ It's this way and that way they circle and file-/ My! but that music of theirs is fine!/ This way and that way, and after a while/ They march straight into this heart of mine!/ A sturdy old heart, but it has to succumb/ To the blare of that trumpet and beat of that drum!" ("With Trumpet and Drum," first stanza, pg. 1) The classic, comprehensive compilation of poetry for children by Eugene Field (1850-1895), the beloved American writer known to posterity as the "poet of childhood." With exemplary illustrations by the canonical American artist Maxfield Parrish (1870-1966) affixed to front cover, on endpapers & paste-downs, frontispiece & interior (8), all reproduced in color. This copy is from the first edition, first printing "Published September, 1904" as stated on copyright page. Larger-format hardcover, without the original dust jacket (which from what we have seen is mostly an over-reproduction of Parrish's front cover-affixed artwork, & rarely available in anything approaching decent condition). A beautiful production which has enchanted generations of children; a most desirable collectible volume. In relatively quite fine condition for such an antiquarian item, with mild rubbing, scratching to front, back covers & spine (front cover illustration & gilt lettering bright & intact); mild wear, a few tiny bumps & very short, closed tears at edges & corners with miniscule loss of dark brown cloth; slight browning to side & lower edges of text block (both untrimmed as issued); several very small rubbings/marks at lower edge of same near side edge; mild rubbing, fading & occasional faint scratching to light brown-dyed upper edge of same. Interior very fine with only light browning & rubbing to illustrated paste-downs & endpapers incl. some light spotting esp. at rear endpaper; light browning esp. at blank margins/edges of page leaves. Fine. [Item #5374]

Price: $150.00 save 20% $120.00