Publisher’s red beveled cloth with gilt-bordered colour onlay to upper board, gilt lettering to spine, lower page edges untrimmed, 6 colour plates, 70 line drawings, 222 pages plus 2 pages of advertisements, 19.6 x 12.8 cm.

 First or very early Bowley edition, circa 1921.
 In Tuck’s Golden Treasury Library series.
 Lovett 258.

 

This charming version of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ is profusely illustrated by the British artist Ada Bowley, working in a style somewhat reminiscent of Mabel Lucie Attwell. Ada also illustrated the very first Alice pop-up book (with so-called ‘come to life’ panorama), likewise published by Raphael Tuck.
 Note that Raphael Tuck tended not to date their books, making it generally impossible to differentiate between a first edition and its reprints – as in this case. Condition: Contents clean overall. Usual age-toning to paper, foxing throughout (mostly light; heaviest at front and back of book, and to pages adjoining plates), a few pale smudges/finger-marks, a few small stains, a little bumping to edges, two small corner creases, two long creases, first few pages plus three plates with small, pale water mark to lower gutter, one pair of gatherings stretched, several plates with pale offsetting from text on facing page (as common with this edition). Endpapers with a little foxing, soiling and creasing, small red water mark to lower gutter, faint trace of bookseller’s penciled notes (erased). Edges of page block with foxing; top with darkening and scratching. Binding almost tight, with lean. Boards and spine with discoloration and marks as shown, scratching and scuffing to cover plate, usual bumping, rubbing and wear to extremities; head of spine with several glue-repaired tears.