Aunt Louisa's Golden Gift. comprising Little Dame Crump, Hush-A-Bye Baby, Childhood's Delight, Tottie's Nursery Rhymes. With Twenty-Four Pages Of Illustrations Printed In Colours And Gold, From Original Designs By M. Tilsley .

London. Frederick Warne & Co., Bedford Street, Strand, [ no date - c.1875 ] .. A very good Victorian binding. Gilt cover illustration and titles. Some wear, hinges carefully strengthened at some time in the past. Previous owner's name to top of title-page. 4to, [6pp.]/pp.5/[2pp.]/pp.6/[2pp.]/pp.6/[2pp.]/pp.6 + 24 chromolithographic plates. All pages linen backed. 27.0cm x 23.8cm x 2.1cm. James notes this is probably by EVB. Publication date from Osborne Coll. Comprising Little Dame Crump, Hush-A-Bye Baby, Childhood Delight, Tottie's Nursery Rhymes with Twenty-Four pages of illustrations printed in Colours and Gold From Original Designs by M. Tilsley. Date taken from English Catalogue of Books. Chromolithographed plates are with signatures: "MT" [i.e. M. Tilsley] and "EB". Plates are with guard sheets. "Aunt Louisa" was a pseudonym of Laura Valentine, general editor of Warne's publishing house. * Referenced by: Osborne Coll. p. 689 ** "Attributed to Laura Valentine and dated by the Bodleian Library." - See COPAC. *** "Laura Belinda Charlotte Jewry (married name Laura Valentine, pen names Mrs. S. Valentine and Aunt Louisa; 1814�1899), was an Victorian English writer primarily known for her children literature. Her work was often produced in children series including Aunt Louisa's Toy Books, Aunt Louisa�s Big Picture Series, and The Young Folk's Shakespeare Series. Her literature often was educational, told of travel, or described the London scene. As an adult novelist, Laura Valentine specialized in florid historical romance. Her main novels were Kirkholme Priory (1847), The Vassal (1850), and the Cup and the Lip (1851). Laura Valentine expressed an expertise in Shakespeare, editing "The Works of William Shakespeare� and creating a number of children's versions of Shakespeare plays including The Merchant of Venice and The Tempest. Professionally, Laura Valentine was one of the chief editors of Frederick Warne & Co and the sole editor of Girl's Home Book and The Chandos Classics. Most of Laura Valentine's work was published through Frederick Warne & Co and T. C. Newby. Laura Valentine's full maiden name was Laura Belinda Charlotte Jewry after her father Admiral Jewry who served in the English navy. She was born at the Victory in England but at an early age connected with the Lord Elphinstone family. She spent her maiden life in India till she married Reverend Richard Valentine, a clergyman of the Church of England. However within 12 months of their marriage, she was widowed. Laura Valentine died at the age of 84 still an active writer. She was survived only by her sister Mary Jewry for five or six years." - See Wikipedia.