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The Story of the Treasure Seekers

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. It may not be exactly the same as the first impression, so I have shown the panel of the jacket from Blampied's personal album, which is assumed to be the first impression to use his design. 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.




Twelfth impression to 20th

Bibliography code: TFU-23.3

Publisher: T. Fisher Unwin, then Ernest Benn Limited

Series: E Nesbit's Children's Stories

Year: 1923

Format: 8vo

Pages: 328

Binding: red cloth with title and author blind stamped on cover with image of children leaning over a bannister; title, author and publisher in gold? on spine. 14th impression had blue cloth with same decorations.

Size: 190 x 130 mm approx

Dust jacket: signed Blam at lower edge

Internal illustrations: Frontispiece of same illutration on dust jacket with six line drawings initialled 'GB' (Gordon Browne)

Price: 6 shillings in 1923 (from adverts)

Printing history: First published 1899; 12th impression in 1923; 20th impression in 1944

Printed by: not known

Notes: The 20th impression had a price of 4/6d

Image of dust jacket

Dust jacket of the 20th impression of 1944 (click to enlarge)


Image of dust jacket

Panel of jacket from Blampied's personal album (click to enlarge)