A CHILD'S GARDEN OF VERSES by Stevenson, Robert Louis - 1885

1885. London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1885. Original blue cloth, beveled. First Edition, first printing (which consisted of 1000 copies). Stevenson began writing these verses as early as 1881: supposedly after perusing through Kate Greenaway's BIRTHDAY BOOK FOR CHILDREN, he observed "These are rather nice rhymes, and I don't think they will be difficult to do," and then proceeded to try his hand at them. It is hard to believe that the author of DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE and THE BODY-SNATCHER also wrote these sprightly juvenile rhymes. The book is dedicated to Alison Cunningham, "Cummy," his childhood nurse-maid.~The spine lettering of this copy includes an apostrophe shaped like the digit "7", and the word "OF" slightly smaller than any other in the title; other copies have a curved apostrophe and an even smaller "OF." This is the more common state (priority, if any, unknown). (The top edge is gilt, with the others uncut, which is the usual, primary state.)~This is a near-fine copy, with faint soil or darkening of the cloth but with scarcely any wear. A CHILD'S GARDEN OF VERSES is becoming increasingly scarce in collectible condition. Beinecke 193; Princeton 20A copy 3; Prideaux pp 35-39.