Christie’s Old Organ by Mrs O F Walton c1900 Religious Tract Society Illustrated
 
Bibliographic Details
 
Title: Christie’s Old Organ; or “Home, Sweet Home”
Author: Mrs O. F. Walton (Amy Catherine Walton)
Publisher: The Religious Tract Society, 56 Paternoster Row and 65 St Paul’s Churchyard, London
Printer: Butler & Tanner, The Selwood Printing Works, Frome, and London
Date: Undated, but with an inscription dated March 1900, indicating publication prior to this year
Format: Hardback
Edition: Early RTS edition, published after the first edition of 1874
Illustrations: Frontispiece, illustrated plates facing pages 14 and 71, with small decorative illustrations and designs throughout
Pagination: 127 pages
Language: English
Dimensions: Approx. 18.8 × 12.5 × 1.6 cm
Weight: Approx. 258 g
 
Author
 
Amy Catherine Walton (1849–1939), known by her pen name Mrs O. F. Walton, was a beloved 19th-century English author of Christian and moral children’s stories. Her gentle narratives often conveyed lessons of faith, kindness, and redemption. She is best known for Christie’s Old Organ, first published in 1874, which became one of the most popular evangelical children’s books of the Victorian period.
 
Publication and Historical Context
 
Christie’s Old Organ was first published in 1874 by the Religious Tract Society, London. This undated edition, bearing an inscription from 1900, was issued before that date and retains the original publisher’s address of 56 Paternoster Row and 65 St Paul’s Churchyard – addresses used by the RTS in the late 19th century.
 
The story follows Christie, a young organ grinder, and his friendship with an old man as they struggle with poverty and faith. Its moral themes and accessible language made it a cherished Sunday School favourite for generations.
 
Exterior Condition
 
Bound in decorative orange cloth over boards with colour illustrations, and black, gilt, and red lettering to the front board and spine. The cover is intact, bright, and robust for its age. There is light bumping to the corners, minor rubbing to the edges and to the head and tail of the spine, and a few faint marks. The gilt decorations remain clear and attractive.
 
Interior Condition
 
The pages are lightly tanned with some patchy tanning to the free endpapers. There is an inscription on the front free endpaper reading: “Elsie Maud Lucas from her Father, Mar 22nd 1900.”
 
Pages are mostly neat, clean, and uncreased. There are a few small creases, minor marks, and only very small edge tears, none affecting the text or illustrations. There is a very light partial crack in the gutter between pages 80 and 81, and a couple of faint cracks between the pastedowns and free endpapers, but all pages remain securely bound. All 127 pages are present.
 
Significance and Rarity
 
This is a very early 20th-century edition of one of the most enduring Victorian moral tales for children. Its decorative cloth binding, early RTS imprint, and clear inscription dating it to before 1900 make it a desirable example of early evangelical publishing. While Christie’s Old Organ was widely read, complete copies of early illustrated RTS printings in good condition are increasingly scarce.