DMUlogo
Hockliffe logo
Fables and Fairy Tales Stories Before 1850 Stories After 1850 Periodicals and Annuals Religious Books, Bibles, Hymns, etc Books of Instruction Nursery Rhymes and Alphabets
Movable and Toy Books; Myths and Heroes Poetry, Verse and Rhymes; Games Games and Pastimes Natural Science Geography and Travel History and Biography Mathematics
Previous Next

Poetry, Verse and Rhymes; Games. 0867: Elizabeth Turner, The Daisy

Author: Turner, Elizabeth
Title: The daisy: or, cautionary stories in verse. Adapted to the ideas of children from four to eight years old. Illustrated with thirty engravings. Part of 'Illustrated Shilling Series of Forgotten Children's Books'
Cat. Number: 0867
Date: 1807 (facsimile); actually 1899-1900
1st Edition: 1807
Pub. Place: London
Publisher: J. Harris, successor to E. Newbery, and Crosby and Co. (facsimile); re-published by The Leadenhall Press, Ltd., 50, Leadenhall Street
Price: Unknown
Pages: 1 vol., 70pp.
Size: 12.5 x 9.5 cm
Illustrations: 30 wood engravings
Note: A facsimile edition Bound in Dutch flower boards. See 0868-0870 for other non-facsimile editions of the text

Images of all pages of this book

Page 004 of item 0867

Introductory essay

The Daisy was first published, by John Harris, in 1807. This facsimile edition, published in 1899-1901, reproduces that text in its entirety, including the original Dutch flower board covers, and the wood engravings. Several pages describing the 'Forgotten Children's Books' series, of which this facsimile is a part, are to be found at the end of the volume (beginning on p.67).

The book, by Elizabeth Turner (d.1846), is composed of short cautionary tales, each one illustrated by an engraved head-piece. These tales do not bully the reader into good behaviour, as some cautionary tales do, nor do they provide horrific warnings of the consequences of disobedience. Rather, Turner seems to be trying to shame the reader into compliance. One girl, for instance, who complains about the size of her doll compared with that of her sister, is reprimanded thus: 'O silly Miss Jenny! / To by such a ninny, / To quarrel and make such a noise!' Only then does the girls' mother step in to confiscate the dolls (p.30). Only once are the consequences of bad behaviour more serious: when 'giddy Miss Helen' drowns in the well she has been forbidden to approach (p.14).

The Daisy was an enormous success, and was republished many times. The Hockliffe Collection contains a 'sixteenth' edition, undated but from about 1820 (0868) and a 'twenty-eighth' edition of c.1835 (0870). There are also several editions which combine The Daisy with Turner's sequel, The Cowslip (1811): 0869A) and 0863 (which is also a facsimile edition, from the same series as 0867).

Valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional