Monthly Spotlight

June 2007

Kate Greenaway

Kate Greenaway was born in London in March 1846. One of four children in a fairly impoverished but happy family, Greenaway did not receive much formal education in her childhood. One of her major sources of happiness as a girl was the annual visit to relatives in the Nottinghamshire countryside, which provided her with much inspiration for future art work. Her early career began with the publication of Infant Amusements in 1867, which in turn brought her talent to the attention of a greeting card company. Soon Greenaway had become a household name.

The book which sealed her place in history as one of the most recognisable and popular illustrators was Under the Window (1877) which was also written by her. Under the Window contained a collection of idyllic verses depicting children untouched by the harsh realities of the industrialised Victorian nation and was a best seller. St. Mary’s Books is pleased to offer for sale a copy of Under the Window in addition to several other works. In the 1880s and 1890s new techniques in photolithography enabled her original watercolour drawings to be reproduced more accurately and more quickly.

As an adult, Greenaway split her time between London and the Nottinghamshire countryside that had a special place in her heart. As her work began to lose some of it’s popularity, Kate became increasingly unhappy. Furthermore, her chances of marriage became increasingly slim. She described herself in a verse as “a star that shone a little while/ But fallen now and all its brightness gone.” Ignoring symptoms of developing breast cancer, she left things too late for surgery and died in November 1901.

The popularity of her drawings proves her worth as an author and illustrator. The Kate Greenaway Medal is still annually awarded to an illustrator of children’s books as a testimony to her great contribution to Victorian art and literature.

St. Mary’s Books is pleased to offer the following Kate Greenaway books for sale.

Please contact us for further information.

Jane and Ann Taylor. Little Ann and other Poems. Illustrated by Kate Greenway. London: George Routledge & Sons, 1883. 1st UK Edition. 8vo. H. Back. Very Good. Printed in colours By Edmund Evans. Printed card boards with green cloth spine. Some wear to boards, internally some foxing.

£55.00

Mother Goose or the Old Nursery Rhymes. Illustrated by Kate Greenaway. London: Frederick Warne, 12mo. H. Back. Good. Inscription to front free end paper, some colouring to front board. Contents becoming loose.

£20.00

Jane and Ann Taylor. Little Ann and Other Poems. Illustrated by Kate Greenaway. London: Frederick Warne, 8vo. Pictorial Boards. Good. Boards weak. Wear to spine and board edges. Inscription to page after front free end paper.

£40.00

Kate Greenaway. A Day in a Child’s Life. Illustrated by Kate Greenaway. 8vo. H. Back. Very Good

£150.00

Kate Greenaway. Language of Flowers. Illustrated by Kate Greenaway. London: George Routledge and Sons, 12mo.Very Good. Pictorial boards depicting two ladies with flowers underneath them. Paper worn away from corners some slight age wear to boards. 80pp. Printed in colour by Edmund Evans.

£125.00

Under the Window Pictures and Rhymes for Children. Illustrated by Kate Greenaway. London: Frederick Warne, 4to. H. Back. Very Good. White cloth spine with green titles. Pictorial front and rear boards depicting children carrying various items. Corners bumped with slight paper loss, some general wear to board extremities. 56 pp. Top and side pages edged in green. A clean copy.

£150.00

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