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The Phoenix and the Carpet
E[dith] Nesbit
This is one of 11 dust-jackets designed by Blampied for new editions published in 1923 of novels and stories by E. Nesbit, a prolific and famous children's writer. The panels of nine jackets are pasted into Blamped's personal album of wrappers, two of which are known only from this album. Four more titles by E. Nesbit were later reprinted by Fisher Unwin, but not with a jacket designed by Blampied. At least two of these later titles, The Magic City and The Wonderful Garden, have a jacket signed Nick
, which is the diminuitive used by John Nicolson, a close friend of Edmund Blampied.
The 11 books with jackets designed by Blampied were reissued by T. Fisher Unwin until they merged with Ernest Benn Limited in 1928, who continued to use the same jacket design into the 1940s. While it would be nice to show the first use of the jacket design, the jackets of books for children do not always survive, so I have shown the jacket of the best edition, which may be the Benn edition, if that's all I have. The panel of the jacket of this book was not present in Blampied's personal album. According to notices in the Press the publishers issued a free illustrated booklet in 1923 to advertise the 11 titles in the uniform series.
E. Nesbit (1858-1924) was a writer and socialist. In 1880 she married Herbert Bland and with him was one of the founder members of The Fabian Society. Bland died in 1914 and she married in 1917 Thomas Terry Tucker.
Sixth impression to 13th or more
Bibliography code: TFU-23.8
Publisher: T. Fisher Unwin, then Ernest Benn Limited
Series: E Nesbit's Children's Stories
Year: 1923
Format: 8vo
Pages: 325
Binding: blue cloth with title and author blind stamped on cover with image of children standing outside a shop with a sign overhead; title, author and publisher in gold on spine with a blind stamped image of a phoenix. 10th impression has blue cloth with same decorations on front plus 'Author of The Treasure Seekers' but no blind stamped image on spine.
Size: 187 x 130 mm approx
Dust jacket: signed Blam at lower edge
Dust jacket of the 8th impression of 1926 (click to enlarge)
Internal illustrations: Frontispiece of same illustration on dust jacket with 47 line drawings, many signed H.R. Millar
Price: 6 shillings in 1923 (from adverts)
Printing history: First published 1903; 6th impression in 1923; 8th impression in 1926; 10th impression, 1931; 13th impression, 1947
Printed by: not known
Notes: The 8th and 10th impression had a price of 3/6d.