Kitty Trenire Mabel Quiller-Couch c1909 Colour Plates W. H. C. Groome Nelson
 
Kitty Trenire By Mabel Quiller-Couch
Illustrated by W. H. C. Groome
Published by Thomas Nelson and Sons
London, Edinburgh, Dublin and New York
Circa 1909 First Edition Issue (pre-Paris imprint)
 
Overview
A charming and decorative Edwardian girls’ novel by Mabel Quiller-Couch, presented here in its original illustrated publisher’s cloth binding and complete with both colour plates by W. H. C. Groome.
Although undated, internal bibliographic evidence confirms this example as an early Nelson issue dating to circa 1909, preceding the addition of the publisher’s Paris office to the imprint from 1910 onward.
With its attractive pictorial cloth boards, colour illustrations, and early school provenance markings, this volume offers an appealing example of early twentieth-century girls’ fiction intended for both educational and domestic reading audiences.
 
Illustrations
This edition includes:
Colour frontispiece illustration by W. H. C. Groome 
Colour plate facing page 240 by W. H. C. Groome 
Both plates are present and complete.
W. H. C. Groome was an early twentieth-century illustrator associated with several illustrated juvenile titles published by Thomas Nelson and Sons. His work appeared in a number of Edwardian children’s and girls’ fiction volumes, typically contributing colour plates that complemented Nelson’s distinctive decorative cloth bindings. Surviving examples of his illustrated plates are now appreciated by collectors of early twentieth-century illustrated fiction and Edwardian publisher’s bindings.
 
Binding
Original decorative green cloth binding featuring:
pictorial illustration to front board 
gilt lettering to front and spine 
decorative spine illustration of a blossom-framed figure 
coloured page edges 
illustrated pastedowns and endpapers 
A particularly attractive Edwardian publisher’s presentation binding.
 
Condition
 
Exterior condition
Original illustrated green cloth boards remain intact and visually attractive.
There is:
fading and marking to boards 
rubbing to extremities 
bumping to corners 
wear to head and tail of spine 
partial split to cloth at edge of front board 
The binding remains structurally presentable and suitable for display.
 
Interior condition
Text block remains complete with all 362 pages plus 6-page publisher’s catalogue present.
There is:
light foxing to pastedowns and endpapers 
occasional marking to pages 
several partial gutter cracks 
some pages slightly loose but still attached 
occasional small edge creases 
small edge tears not affecting text 
Despite structural wear, the book remains fully readable and internally generally clean.
 
Provenance
Ownership markings include ink inscriptions for “Nancy Watt, 29 Queen’s Road” together with institutional stamps for St Marie’s Boarding School, Greyfriars, Elgin. These markings suggest early circulation within an Edwardian girls’ boarding-school setting and provide an appealing glimpse into the book’s educational context during the early twentieth century.
 
Dating This Edition
Although undated, this example can be confidently attributed to circa 1909 based on the absence of the Paris office in the publisher’s imprint (added from 1910 onward), together with internal publisher’s catalogue evidence consistent with Nelson juvenile fiction lists of the late Edwardian period.
 
About the Author
Mabel Quiller-Couch (1865–1954), born Florence Mabel Quiller-Couch in Bodmin, Cornwall, was a writer of children’s fiction and educational literature during the late Victorian and Edwardian periods. She was the sister of the noted author and literary scholar Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch and contributed to the flourishing tradition of moral and adventure fiction written for young readers in the early twentieth century.
Her works were widely published by Thomas Nelson & Sons and formed part of the firm’s respected catalogue of wholesome illustrated fiction for girls.
 
Publisher
Thomas Nelson and Sons was one of the most influential educational and juvenile publishers of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Their illustrated cloth bindings from this period remain highly collectible today for their craftsmanship and decorative appeal.
 
Dimensions
19.5 by 13 cm by 4.2 cm
Weight: 654 g
 
Rarity Statement
Early illustrated Nelson juvenile fiction in decorative cloth bindings with surviving colour plates remains increasingly collectible, particularly where original publisher’s bindings remain intact.