The Skipper Edith Cuthell c1930 Summit Library Illustrated Children’s Book
 
Title & Bibliographic Details
 
Title: The Skipper: The Story of an Old Sea Dog
Author: Edith E. Cuthell
Date: Circa 1929–1930
Edition: Summit Library illustrated edition
Publisher: Blackie & Son Limited
Printed: Great Britain
 
First published in 1899, this later Summit Library edition can be confidently dated to circa 1929–1930, supported by the publisher’s series style and a contemporary Sunday School prize inscription dated Christmas 1930.
 
The book includes a striking illustrated frontispiece titled:
“Skipper To The Rescue”
with printer’s plate code D 931 beneath the illustration.
 
Historical & Bibliographic Context
 
The Skipper belongs to the tradition of early twentieth-century British juvenile fiction centred on loyalty, courage, and companionship between children and animals; themes especially popular in interwar children’s publishing.
 
This edition forms part of Blackie & Son’s Summit Library series, issued during the late 1920s and early 1930s as attractive illustrated gift books for young readers. These editions were frequently presented as Sunday School prizes, making surviving examples with inscriptions especially evocative of their original social context.
Summit Library volumes are now increasingly collected for their distinctive pictorial bindings and period educational provenance.
 
About the Author
 
Edith E. Cuthell (1853–1935) was a British writer of children’s fiction, often drawing upon imperial travel experiences and moral adventure themes.
 
About the Illustrator
 
This edition includes a dramatic black-and-white frontispiece illustration titled:
“Skipper To The Rescue”
 
Illustrated plates were a defining feature of Blackie’s juvenile gift editions and contribute significantly to their period charm and collector appeal.
 
Binding & Exterior Description
 
Bound in original pictorial paper-covered boards, featuring:
continuous illustration across front board and spine 
depiction of the young protagonist with his dog 
Summit Library decoration to rear board 
Blackie & Son publisher’s imprint 
 
The binding remains intact and visually attractive, with:
bumping to corners 
rubbing to paper-covered edges 
light surface marks 
slight lean to spine 
 
The pictorial boards remain particularly appealing examples of the Summit Library style.
 
Interior Condition
 
The interior remains in very good readable condition:
pages thick and crisp 
light foxing and occasional small marks 
minimal corner creasing 
no tears present 
slight gutter exposure between a small number of pages 
 
A contemporary prize inscription appears on the first page:
“Edward Wyatt. Bladon Sunday School. Xmas 1930”
 
No further ownership marks are present.
 
All 96 pages are present and securely attached.
 
Physical Details
 
Pagination: 96 pages
Dimensions: 18.5 cm × 12.4 cm × 2.8 cm
Weight: approx. 270g
 
Rarity & Collector Notes
 
This edition should be considered Scarce.
Justification:
Summit Library pictorial-board editions survive less frequently than standard cloth bindings 
juvenile prize books were typically heavily handled 
paper-covered illustrated boards are especially vulnerable to wear 
surviving examples with contemporary prize inscriptions are increasingly desirable 
 
Market observations:
Copies of The Skipper do appear occasionally, but Summit Library issues with intact pictorial boards and dated prize provenance are less frequently encountered.
 
Desirable collector features present here include:
✔ original pictorial boards
✔ illustrated frontispiece
✔ Summit Library issue
✔ contemporary Sunday School prize inscription
 
Provenance
 
Prize inscription:
Edward Wyatt
Bladon Sunday School
Xmas 1930
 
Sunday School prize books form an important part of British educational and religious social history and help confirm the book’s circulation during the late interwar period.
 
Bladon itself is historically notable as the Oxfordshire village associated with the Churchill family, adding further contextual interest.