Dickie's Star and Other Children's Stories. [BLACK STUDIES Research Interest: includes Little Black Topsy, a slave girl story inspired by the Jubilee Singers]

Taylor, Margaret [INSCRIBED by the author]

Published by The Channing Press, 1939

About this Item

A Very Good First Edition copy of this rare children's book from a provincial UK press (The Channing Press, Dawlish, Devon), plain end-paper is inscribed by the author to Marian Morris. No date but BL says 1939. Clean soft paper throughout in clean, illustrated light brown boards, a little shaky to the front with inside-edge opening a little to title page (it seems that Perrin's full-page illustration after the title page, would have made a better frontispiece. The binding is otherwise very good. Charming and accomplished single full-page illustration by Muriel I. Perrin. Original dust jacket, which is worn and a little grubby and ragged to some edges and chipped to corner folds. Carefully reinforced with brown paper to reverse. The jacket has done its job of protection. This obscure female author's Stories about Children (Channing Press, Dawlish) appeared in 1936 - see dust-wrapper review - and was variously reviewed as unusual. powerfully written. out of the common rut and positively reviewed by Practical Psychology magazine. BL lists Margaret Taylor as 'writer of children's tales' and no other publications have been identified. Reference is made at the beginning of the story to Uncle Tom's Cabin; the book contains racist language. This work, in addition to the title story, contains five others: Spiders; Lord Mayor's Party, Charlie, Seven and a Bit; Christmas Eve; and a sympathetic but stereotypicaL story: Little Black Topsy. Topsy is the daughter of Major Brown the Manager of a large cotton plantation in southern America who wants to be Born Again - White. She is eventually convinced by others that everything is fine because she is: all white and ?? . Note: The Channing Press seems to have been active from 1934-1939, publishing over fifty books, including much poetry. Only four copies of this book in WorldCat: BL, NLS, Oxford and Dublin. 20% price reduction now applied. Plus further 20%.

Seller Inventory # 001107

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Dickie's Star and Other Children's Stories. [BLACK STUDIES Research Interest: includes Little Black Topsy, a slave girl story inspired by the Jubilee Singers]
• Publisher: The Channing Press
• Publication Date: 1939
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Muriel I. Perrin
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Good
• Signed: Inscribed by Author(s)