Description

The Macmillan Company, 1928. Hardcover, 174 pp. 1928 reprint edition. In good condition. Blue cloth covered boards with black lettering and silhouette of a doll's head and front cover. Light overall scuffing and soiling to covers. Binding tight. Previous owner's name in ink on front paste-down. Otherwise pages are lightly aged but otherwise unmarked with occasional light spotting and soiling. Originally published in 1846 and written by English poet and critic Richard Henry Horne (1802 - 1884) under the fictional guise of "Mrs. Fairstar," Memoirs of a London Doll is an early example of the toy autobiography genre, in which a doll narrates her own life story as she is passed from owner to owner across London. This charming narrative offers insight into Victorian domestic life, social class, and the moral education of children. This 1928 reissue by Macmillan includes an introduction by prominent children's librarian Clara Whitehill Hunt, and illustrations by Emma L. Brock (1886 - 1974), an American author-illustrator known for her expressive line work and contributions to mid-century children's literature.