A Child's Book of Stories with Pictuires by Jessie Willcox Smith
A Child's Book of Stories is a collection of numerous popular stories for children selected and arranged by Penrhyn Wingfield Coussens (1873-1944) and illustrated by Jessie Willcox Smith (1863-1935).
Among stories we can find all-time classics from Arabian nights, Perrault's Mother Goose's Tales, Andersen's Fairy Tales , and Grimm's Children's and Household Tales. There are some English folktales and Aesop's Tales included as well. The collection is dedicated to Coussens' children Ada, Eva, and Mervyn.
Penrhyn Wingfield Coussens was born in Hastings, England but came to Chicago being only eight years old. He was a vestryman and regular member of the choir at The Church of St. Paul. He worked for A. C. McClurg & Co. (later renamed to Brentano's) for decades, right till his death. In his lifetime he wrote and edited six books for children. A Child's Book of Stories is his most famous work. Illustrations by Jessie Willcox Smith are definitely a crucial part of its success.
Her works is actually so essential her name was used for original cover and is of course still there at numerous reprints. It's only fair to focus on her eight pictures, all done in her signature watercolor technique.
Hansel and Gretel
Goldilocks
Snow White and Rose Red
Goose Girl
Little Red Riding Hood
Babes in the Wood
Jack and the Beanstalk
Snow White
The book was first published by Duffield & Company, New York in 1911 and is still republished today by several different publishing houses.
The original cover is rarely used in reprints. The illustrations for Red Riding Hood and Jack and the Beanstalk are used for the front cover in most cases and the illustration for Snow White is used as the back cover. Such book (new) is available for about ten dollars but original (first edition) in good condition can easily achieve several hundred dollars. If you by any chance find one in your granny's attic, treat it as a treasure.