The Water Babies, Charles Kingsley, Illustrated, Easton Press, 2002

Norwalk, CT: Easton Press, 2002. Collector's Edition. Fine. Frontispiece and 11 full-color plates and green and white illustrations by Jessie Willcox Smith. The book is tight with solid hinges, good corners, and illustrated 24kt gold front cover, rear cover and spine decorations. Bound in dark green leather with raised bands to the spine, gilded pages, silk moiré end papers and a sewn-in satin bookmark. The textblock is clean with no writing, bookplate, stamp, or markings. 240 pages. 7½ x 10" tall.

Shamed by his grimy appearance in the presence of an immaculate little girl, ten-year-old Tom — an ill-treated London chimney-sweep — promptly runs away. Diving into a river, he enters a magical underwater world of fairies and other whimsical creatures who teach him about truth, mercy, justice, courage, and other virtues. Although Charles Kingsley's fable can be read as simply a charming morality tale, it also blends elements of a scientific satire and a political tract.