The Book of the Child; An attempt to set down what is in the mind of children

Limp red calf, 6.5 x 4 inches, 189pp. Very Good with rubbing to extremities including shallow loss at the spine ends and nicked upper front corner, light discoloration, rear cover creased. Stamp of previous owner Alexander William Stedman to the half-title and intermittently throughout the text.

A foray into popular child psychology, presented primarily through anecdotes and packaged in a decorative binding featuring an embossed rose motif, gilt corners with gauffered banding, a thin red ribbon place marker, patterned endpapers. The aesthetic is borrowed from the kind of sentimental children's book which emerged during the period, often with cute verses and epitaphs, photo-illustrated and ornamented with Art Nouveau flair. How's book references this in both design and content, acknowledging children "have come into greater prominence during the last quarter of a century than ever before..." and "a newly aroused sense of the vital importance attached to their proper upbringing." Its appearance likely made it more approachable to parents, the primary audience. Scarce.