R. Caldecott’s Picture Book No.2 – Warne Ltd c.1917 Green Cloth Edition
 
R. Caldecott’s Picture Book No. 2 – Illustrated by Randolph Caldecott (Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd., c.1917–1920s)
 
Description:

R. Caldecott’s Picture Book No. 2, containing The House That Jack Built, Sing a Song for Sixpence, and The Queen of Hearts, illustrated in colour and black and white by Randolph Caldecott. Includes a colour frontispiece and numerous full-page and vignette illustrations engraved by Edmund Evans, Ltd., Rose Place, Globe Road, London.
 
This charming early 20th-century volume continues the celebrated series of Caldecott’s picture books first issued by George Routledge & Sons in the 1880s, later acquired by Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd. when they took over Routledge’s children’s list around 1900. As the publisher name appears as Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd., and the printing credit matches Edmund Evans’s London address, this copy most likely dates from c.1917–1920s.
 
Physical Details:
 
Publisher: Frederick Warne & Co., Ltd., London and New York
Printer: Edmund Evans, Ltd., Rose Place, Globe Road, London E.1
Format: Small hardback (approx. 13.7 × 11.7 × 1.3 cm)
Weight: c.162 grams
Pagination: 87 pages, all present
Illustrations: Colour frontispiece, full-page and vignette illustrations throughout, plus pictorial endpapers
Binding: Pictorial paper-covered boards with green cloth spine
Dust Jacket: Not present
 
Condition Report:
 
Exterior: The boards retain their bright pictorial design. The binding is firm, with light wear to corners and edges, mild rubbing, and a small area of loose cloth at the top of the spine adjoining the front board. A few small marks are visible on close inspection.
Interior: Light even tanning to pages, with occasional small marks. Pictorial endpapers and pastedowns remain clean and intact. The front free endpaper bears a pencil inscription, and the rear pastedown features a small Times Book Club label (42 Wigmore Street, London). No rips, tears, or major flaws.
Binding: Secure, with only a very slight crack between a few pages. All gatherings tight.
 
Historical Context:
 
Randolph Caldecott (1846–1886) was a pioneering English illustrator whose playful and dynamic style transformed Victorian children’s publishing. His partnership with master engraver Edmund Evans and publisher Frederick Warne helped establish the golden age of British picture books, inspiring later artists such as Beatrix Potter and influencing the modern picture book format itself.