Old & Rare
NESBIT, E[dith]. Five Children and It. London: T. Fisher Unwin [1923]. 8vo, xvi 302pp + 16 advts. Red cloth stamped in gilt and pictorially in blind: t.e.g. 8 b&w plates by H.R. Millar. Spine ends a bit rubbed, spine sunned, lower front corner a tad worn, light foxing to edges of sheets, first and last few sheets with some foxing, else a clean, tight copy.
6th printing. The first novel in Nesbit’s beloved Psammead trilogy. When Cyril, Anthea, Robert, Jane and their baby brother “the Lamb” move from London to the countryside of Kent, they encounter a grumpy, ugly and unpredictable sand-fairy called the Psammead. After some negotiations, the Psammead agrees to grant one wish per day – but the results of their wishes somehow never come out quite the way the children expect! Nesbit’s first fantasy novel for children and her second major success.