Divine and Moral; Songs for Children by the Reverend Isaac Watts, D.D.
London: Elkin Matthews, 1896. First edition. Original green laminated pictorial boards (5 7/8 inches tall), blank white cloth spine, uncut. Bookplate with pencil signature, slight toning to spine, faint offsetting to blank flyleaves, minor bumping corners. A near-fine copy. Item #1690
"IN BOOKS, OR WORK, OR HEALTHFUL PLAY, / LET MY FIRST YEARS BE PAST; / THAT I MAY GIVE OF EV'RY DAY / SOME GOOD ACCOUNT AT LAST"
First Georgina Gaskin-illustrated edition of Divine and Moral Songs, with the artist's dedication to her husband—and artistic collaborator—Arthur J. Gaskin: "These little pictures are dedicated to My Husband / By his pupil and wife." A clean copy, unmarked by small hands.
The "Godfather of English Hymnody," Isaac Watts was also known for his moral poetry for children. Originally published in 1715, Divine and Moral Songs remained a nursery and school classic for nearly 200 years, with more than one thousand editions. "Watts's Divine Songs belongs to the history of children's literature. By the middle of the nineteenth century Watts's songs were so widely known and at once sufficiently old-fashioned that Lewis Carroll could expect an appreciative audience for his parodies of Watts." In Alice in Wonderland, Carroll lampoons both Against Idleness and Mischief ("How Doth the Little Crocodile") and The Sluggard ("'Tis the voice of the Lobster"). Divine and Moral Songs has persisted for so long due to the "insight it provides into the history of childhood. Along with their record of childhood temptations, the songs remind readers of the important circumstance of infant and child mortality that added urgency to Christian education. Half of all children, often fewer, survived childhood" (poetryfoundation.org).
The verses are divided into two sections: Divine Songs for Children (1—28) and Moral Songs (1—8), the verses are illustrated with captioned color plates, signed in the plate (as "GECG") and printed by Edmund Evans. Credited on the title page as "Mrs. Arthur Gaskin," Georgina "Georgie" Cave was a student at the Birmingham School of Art where Arthur J. Gaskin was also a student and later an instructor. After their marriage Georgie and Arthur continued to work separately and they also collaborated on jewelry designs. "Sentimental to our eyes, Gaskin’s art projects the idea of juvenile innocence. The notion of childhood wonder is reinforced by her deployment of Aesthetic motifs, notably flowers and decorative textiles; shown as if they are being seen for the first time as part of a child’s discoveries. She strips her imagery down to its bare essentials, especially in her colour books. The effect, in Divine and Moral Songs is one of extreme clarity, of simplification at odds with the congestion of Arts and Crafts and resembles a pictogram in the manner of Art Nouveau. In short, Gaskin’s art is strikingly vivid and direct. Her expertise as a jeweller finds parallel expression in her small, precious, highly-coloured books for children. It is a pity that so few survived the wear and tear of the nursery, and most of her publications are now distinctly rare" (Simon Cooke). Simon Cooke. The Illustrations of Georgie Gaskin (Victorian Web).
Price: $250.00