The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, Heinemann Ltd, October 1939 reprint - illustrated retailer by Charles Robinson.

My story...
I am a gorgeous, 1939 edition of The Secret Garden published by Heinemann Ltd. and of course containing ‘those illustrations' by Charles Robinson.

Practicalities:
The 1939 issue is still larger than average (the size reduced in the 1940s)
-I measures H 21.5cm by W15cm.
-I weigh 238g.

Condition Summary:
I am an aged book with a whole variation of condition points from rough cut page edges to spectacular illustrations! Just be reassured I am clean, and robust with an intact binding and all my reading pages and stunning illustrations present. Despite my ageing I am also still one of the most beautiful books ever published! For specific condition points see below.

If you want to see all the pictures in this book look at my seller's listing selling the individual prints. My seller is also happy to send more pictures of me.

Why buy me?
I am just an all round beautiful book. My hardcovers are a beautiful, muted, garden green with a dark green, embossed illustration of the young Mary holding a plant in the centre of my front cover. My back is plain apart from a small, windmill illustration in my bottom, right hand corner.
My spine decoration is breathtaking - a beautiful rose decorated embossed pattern.
Next turn over and you will see my rather special, art nouveau, style endpaper design.
The initial, title page is next with a tiny illustration of Colin walking at last! Then...there is the first of my 8 sublime, colour illustrations as a frontispiece, set opposite a grandly decorated title page in red and black font. Here there is yet another small illustration of Mary. The whole page is framed in decorated foliage.
There follows my date of publishing - 1939 - along with previous editions and reprint dates. My well thought out chapter headings and a list of 7 further full page illustrations by Charles Robinson follow. These truly are a delight to behold. I have run out of gushing adjectives! Each illustration has a quote from the section of the story that it applies to underneath it in red font. Sigh...then of course follows my charming tale. Nothing can beat that in beauty! Yes, I lack the smooth pages and glossy shine of later, modern editions but there is something humble and gracious about me. I only wish I had more photographic allowance to show you all my delights!

As I am around over 83years old I will have some signs of age and use:

Hard cover: aged and used but not overtly grubby; there are light marks here and there but they are not significant; spine ends and long sides down the hinges have rolled and gently worn; there is a crease across my front cover and a very noticeable scuff to the cloth on the bottom corner of my front cover; my back cover is virtually unmarked apart from a small, brown spot like mark right on its immediate edge 5cm from the top (4mm square) and two slight dints further down; there is rolling and wear to the book corners more so on the bottom edges; the spine is more faded than the main covers with some fading to the decoration and a few minor marks; there is shelf wear on the immediate top and bottom book edges. The binding has loosened but is still strong. The book has a slight lean and the corners splay out ever so slightly.
Pages edges: all edges foxed, rubbed and aged toned. Two of the page edges are rough cut (see photo 10) you can see sections on one page that belong to the next page. Two more earlier on are rough cut but much much less severely. Slightly annoying but unfortunately pages that are bound in this way that need separating by hand weren't always done with care.
Endpapers: age toned (more so on the free papers) with noticeable foxing. At the front there is an initial written in light red ink with a rubbed out price written over the top of it. On the next free page there is an inscription written in old, black ink V. Hoyle Xmas 1940 from Mummy and Daddy. (all underlined). There is also a further name and address written in red ink: Valerie Hoyle, Hafan Wen Stockport Rd Bredbury Cheshire. You can also see the slight imprint of retailer the same address and a telephone number that was written in pencil but has now been rubbed out. Hafan Wen is the house name and is Welsh meaning White Haven/home.
The endpapers gutters are weakening at the front and showing a split of 2cm at the rear with a tiny bit of wear to the top end of less than a cm.
There is foxing mostly around the edges of the first few and last few pages of the book and occasional light age marks here and there.
Reading pages: These are generally in very good condition. You will see tight natural creases in the paper now and again (there at the time of printing not through mis-use). The foxing apparent at the beginning of the book stops as the text begins. There are occasional faint age marks and foxing on pages throughout the rest of the book but mostly not! I found one folded page top corner.
Illustrations: one has a crease on its bottom corner (see photo 5); one looks like it has a scratch across it but the page is smooth so it must be a printing error (see photo 7) - otherwise they are all ship shape.

A note from my seller:
I have bought, sold and I own many different Heinemann editions from different publishing years. They all age in the same fashion: the covers, especially the spine, wear more than the inside pages, the gutters split and they are nearly always foxed to some degree. The reading pages and illustrations are often in a very respectable condition. It is also rare to find an edition without an inscription!
What they all in common is a humble beauty and if you can find one with the roses on the spine then it's a real bonus - soooo pretty!
This edition has plenty more reading years left in it if handled carefully.

I will be sent Royal Mail signed for delivery in the UK and Royal Mail International, tracked worldwide. Please message me for worldwide postage costs if not displayed.

I will be packed in recycled, biodegrable packaging where possible.

Seller code: 11-22