Our Darlings is for sale from The First Edition. Our Darlings is a vintage story book containing numerous illustrations by various artists including Louis Wain cat illustrations.

Our Darlings was published by John F. Shaw and Co Ltd in London. This Our Darlings vintage children’s illustrated book is not dated but is believed to be from circa 1914 and bears a contemporary inscription to the front endpaper in pencil in a neat hand.

There are two full page colour tipped-in Louis Wain cats plates opposite pages 120 and 168 that feature Louis Wain cats in various poses .

The Our Darlings book has the original publisher’s green bevelled binding with a red title and red flower decorations to the front board and spine. There is a circular colour plate to the front board of a young girl at the seaside holding a shell to her ear, which has a larger version of the plate opposite page 184.

The Our Darlings binding is in Very Good condition with the front board and spine being very clean and attractive with only slight fading to the front board in the top right corner, and the plain back board having some mottling marks, and only very slight corner knocking and edge wear. The Our Darlings binding is exceptionally clean and attractive.

The Our Darlings children’s illustrated book has 288 numbered pages, all edges tinted in green, that are packed with numerous children’s short stories that are decorated with either full page colour plates mounted on green card or black and white illustrations.

As you open the book the reader is met with a wonderful large double-page illustration to the front endpapers in green of two hares carrying food and hiding behind a fence. At the end of the book is another large double-page illustration to the rear endpapers also in green features the two hares being chased by a cunning old fox. The front pastedown bears an inscription in pencil in a neat hand and dated Xmas 1914. The colour frontispiece is tipped-in and mounted on green card, as with all the tipped-in illustrations in this book, featuring a teddy bear looking at a spider with the caption “Will It Bite Me?”

Opposite the frontispiece is the illustrated Title Page which is separated by a tissue guard, with the tissue guard being discoloured and wear to the bottom edge. The illustrated Title Page is lettered in red and features a young girl offering a cat a saucer of milk.

The publisher is credited as John F Shaw & Co Ltd 3 Pilgrim St London to the bottom of the Title Page. The Title Page is followed by a two page Contents Page that has two columns packed with children’s stories by various children’s story authors of the day. The illustrations featuring Ernest Aris artwork include the front endpapers and the rear endpapers, and colour plates opposite pages 24, 88, 128, 224, and 280. The pages are in overall Very Good condition with marks to some pages, but overall very clean.