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Water Babies Hardcover - 1983

by Charles Kingsley


About this book

The Water-Babies, A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby is a children's novel by the Reverend Charles Kingsley. Written in 1862-1863 as a serial for Macmillan's Magazine, it was first published in its entirety in 1863. The book was extremely popular during its day, and was a mainstay of children's literature through the 1920s, but eventually fell out of favor in part due to its prejudices against Irish, Jews, Catholics, blacks, Americans, and the poor.

In the style of Victorian-era novels, The Water-Babies is a didactic moral fable about a young chimney sweep, Tom, who falls into a river and becomes a 'water-baby,' guided by moral teachers through lessons and adventures, eventually earning the right to become human again and being united with an upper-class girl Ellie who had also become a 'water-baby.'


Summary

When Tom, an ill-treated little chimney-sweep, jumps into a clear, cool stream to clean himself something magical happens; he is turned into a tiny water baby by the fairies. He enters a strange, magical underwater world, and travels beyond the world's end to the other end-of-nowhere, getting into all sorts of scrapes and encountering creatures beautiful and frightening along the way. He also learns many important lessons - it is a voyage of discovery that Tom will never forget.

First Edition Identification

First edition (London Macmillan and Company 1863) is usually without the L'Envoi leaf as is almost always encountered as the author had it removed from all but the first 200 or so copies. Illustrations in this edition include two full page plates by J. Noel Paton and with a number of small illustrations used throughout as opening initials.

Details

  • Title Water Babies
  • Author Charles Kingsley
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Publisher South Asia Books
  • Date June 1983
  • ISBN 9780706918182
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Water Babies

by Charles Kingsley

  • Used
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  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9780706918182
ISBN 10
0706918185
Quantity Available
1
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HOUSTON, Texas, United States
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Item Price
$11.69
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Show Details

Description:
Stosius Inc/Advent Books Division, 1983-06. Hardcover. Good.
Item Price
$11.69
FREE shipping to USA