A beautiful first edition of this "Story Hour" series title, featuring a scarce and elegant decorative cloth binding.
Author: Bertha P. Standen
Illustrator: G.P.S. (G.P. Standen)
Publisher: Gay and Hancock, Ltd., London
Year: 1913 (First Edition)
Binding: Original cream linen/cloth with a distinctive green and lavender floral Art Nouveau design (Note: Significantly rarer than the common red cloth variant).
A charming collection of Edwardian "nature legends" written for children, where flowers—such as Our Lady’s Bed-Straw—speak and share their secrets. This copy is part of the "Story Hour" series but is distinguished by its rare decorative binding, likely intended as a gift or premium issue.
Overall: Very Good (VG).
Interior: 60 pages plus a publisher's book list at the rear. Includes four full-color plates by G.P. Standen, including a tissue-guarded frontispiece. The pages are clean with only very light, occasional foxing.
Binding: The cream cloth shows light age-toning and minor shelf-wear consistent with age (see photos), but the stamped design remains vibrant. The spine is square and the binding is firm.
Provenance: Features a small, neat vintage bookseller’s label to the foot of the front pastedown: "C. T. WATERS, The Library, ROMSEY."
While the 1913 first edition is "uncommon" in any form, it is almost exclusively found in a plain red cloth. This floral pictorial binding is rarely seen on the market and is the ideal choice for a collector of Edwardian children’s literature or Art Nouveau book design.