A feast of amusing and edifying tales for young gentlefolk of all ages

AN April 29 sale held by Bloomsbury Auctions presented an enormous selection of children’s, illustrated and private press books that ran to nearly 900 lots. While there was much to admire in the other sections of the sale, I shall concentrate on the children’s books for this report. A great many of the lots came from one fine collection in which many of the books contained a bookplate designed by Pauline Baynes.

According to Marjorie Moon, the first two books by Mary Elliott to be published, both in 1809, were …

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