"Poems of Childhood" by Eugene Field, illustrated with color plates by Maxfield Parrish, published by Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, MCMIV (1904) on the title page, copyright 1904 by Charles Scribner's Sons. Published September, 1904. First Edition, First state of the first printing with captions on the tissue guards, thin gray endpapers, untrimmed bottom page edges, no publisher's catalog, and no printer's colophon on the last page. [BAL 5857]. All listed color plates by Parrish and tissue guards are present.

Facsimile of the later state dust jacket is in mylar cover, hard boards, original publisher's cloth with Parrish's illustration on the front board; 7" x 9.1/2"; illustrated endpapers [spine repair, front endpaper is damaged at the hinges: see photo], x + 2 + 199 pages + 3 blanks + complete all 8 listed color plates on glossy paper by Parrish are present; all tissue guards are fine, gilt upper page edges, untrimmed vertical and bottom page edges, some foxing, very good condition. See photos.

Maxfield Parrish (1870-1966) was born in Philadelphia in 1870. His artistic talents were encouraged by his parents and though it was initially architecture that beckoned him, it was quite obvious that he would be an artist. His college work was remarkably sophisticated. In 1893 he approached Howard Pyle in hopes of getting instruction, but he was told that Pyle had nothing to teach him. Parrish audited a few of Pyle's classes at the Drexel Institute and came to the same conclusion. It was time to start a long and respected career. By 1900, Parrish was an established, successful artist with membership in the Society of American Artists, and a custom built studio on the New Hampshire-Vermont border.

Parrish art was in magazines, books and was receiving recognition in the exhibits and expositions. Most significantly, the public was enamored with his images. A trip to Arizona in early 1902 resulted in a suite of seven color plates that seem to have been crafted with the earliest versions of the new "varnish" technique above and capture the colors and light of the desert. Book illustrations were equally in demand. His post-1900 color output included: "Italian Villas and Their Gardens" and "Poems of Childhood" (1904), "The Arabian Nights" (1909), "A Wonder Book" and "Tanglewood Tales" (1910) and "The Knave of Hearts" (1925). He lived his entire life at his New Hampshire home/studio at The Oaks.

Eugene Field (1850-1895) was an American writer, best known for his children's poetry and humorous essays. He was known as the "poet of childhood".

Field first started publishing poetry in 1879, when his poem "Christmas Treasures" appeared in "A Little Book of Western Verse". Over a dozen volumes of poetry followed and he became well known for his light-hearted poems for children, among the most famous of which are "Wynken, Blynken, and Nod" and "The Duel" (which is perhaps better known as "The Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat"). Equally famous is his poem about the death of a child, "Little Boy Blue". Field also published a number of short stories, including "The Holy Cross" and "Daniel and the Devil."

Several of his poems were set to music with commercial success by composers such as Isabel Stewart North, Gertrude Ross, and Ella May Dunning Smith. Many of his works were accompanied by paintings from Maxfield Parrish.

Field has his own star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame.
In 2016, Field was inducted into the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame.
As a memorial to Field, a statue of the Dream Lady from his poem "Rock-a-by-Lady" was erected in 1922 at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. There is also a park and fieldhouse named in his honor in Chicago's Albany Park neighborhood. In nearby Oak Park, Illinois, another park is named in his honor. A statue of Wynken, Blynken and Nod adorns Washington Park, near Field's Denver home. Another statue of Wynken, Blynken and Nod sits in the center of the town square (called "the green" by locals) in Wellsboro, Pa.

US: Priority (c 2-4 days) ------ $18.50
Canada: Priority (c.2-7 weeks) ----- $32.50
World: Priority (c.2-10 weeks) ----- $48.50