Baby Days by Mary Mapes Dodge (1877)

BABY DAYS, 1877, First Edition by the Editor of the St. Nicholas Children’s Magazine, Mary Mapes Dodge. Who achieved worldwide fame in 1865 when she wrote “Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates”

During her career as an editor she published seven books for adults as well as two books for small children, Baby Days and Bay World.

Through the years, Mary Mapes Dodge developed her own ideas of what makes good writing for children. In 1871, she was given the chance to put her philosophy into action as the editor of the new national children's magazine, “St. Nicholas” which published its first issue in 1873. What was her radical philosophy? What we could call common sense standards today was news to Victorian children's writers. In an article for Scribner's, she spelled out what she was trying to accomplish:

"But, in fact, the child's magazine needs to be stronger, truer, bolder, more uncompromising than the other. Its cheer must be the cheer of the bird-song, not of condescending editorial babble. If it means freshness and heartiness, and life and joy, and its words are simply, directly, and musically put together, it will trill its own way. We must not help it overmuch. In all except skillful handling of methods, we must be as little children if we would enter this kingdom."

As to illustration... "A child's periodical must be pictorially illustrated, of course, and the pictures must have the greatest variety consistent with simplicity, beauty and unity. They should be heartily conceived and well executed; and they must be suggestive, attractive and epigrammatic. If it be only the picture of a cat, it must be so like a cat that it will do its own purring, and not sit, a dead, stuffed thing, requiring the editor to purr for it. One of the sins of this age is editorial dribbling over inane pictures. The time to shake up a dull picture is when it is in the hands of the artist and engraver, and not when it lies, a fact accomplished, before the keen eyes of the little folk."

As you will soon see Mary Mapes Dodge accomplished what she set out to do. The pictures in this book are stunning. Whether your interested in old books, children’s books or appreciate fine art work this is a rare and well preserved first edition of this Victorian era book. Although most books are devalued when names have been penned into the first pages, the inscription inside this edition “Marie from Maud” “August 1880” was done with such an artistic flare that I feel it adds to this book. The mystery of such an artistic signature opens our inner child’s imagination as to the possibilities. This book is still in good shape although it does show signs of being someone’s favorite; the pages have yellowed with time, minor staining throughout and two pages have minor tears (incl in the pictures). The cover and binding are scuffed and the edges are worn (incl in the pictures). Overall still a solid book.