The Railway Children by E. Nesbit / C.E. Brock (Illust.) / [Sybil Corbit] - 1906

London: Wells Gardner, 1906. 1st Edition . Very Good Minus. 6 x 8.25 inches (15 x 21 cm). First printing. Purple buckram binding with gilt illustration to front board and spine. Rubbing and slight wear to ends of spine and corners of boards. Fading to foot of spine. Top page edge gilt, other edges untrimmed. Light foxing to endpapers, scattered patches of foxing to text, quite heavy to the first couple of pages. Lacking one plate at page 120. Previous owner's bookplate to front pastedown endpaper ('One of the books of Sybil Corbit'). Gift inscription to front free endpaper ('Sybil from Horalia, Christmas 1906'). Sybil Corbet is credited as the author of the 1897 children's book 'Animal Land where there are no people', illustrated by her mother Katharine Corbet. In the preface to that book Katharine relates to how the book was described to her by her 4 year old daughter Sybil. The book contained a 16 page introduction by Andrew Lang. Lang also dedicated his 1899 'Red Book of Animal Stories' to Sybil Corbet with an introductory poem addressed to her. Sybil would have been 14 when she received this volume on Christmas Day in 1906. A nice solid first printing of this children's classic, with an interesting provenance. Overall condition is Very Good Minus. Hardback. Printed pages: 309, 10