William Heath (author and illustrator). Bill The Minder.

by ROBINSON

£700 · Offered by Henry Sotheran Ltd

ROBINSON, William Heath (author and illustrator). Bill The Minder. London, Constable Co. Ltd. 1912. 4to. Original pale green cloth with large onlaid pictorial label to upper board surrounded by rococo flourishes in gilt, top edges green; pp. [xvi] + 254; illustrated with 16 fine mounted coloured, and tissue-guarded, plates and line drawings throughout in profusion; a fine copy in exceptional condition both internally and externally, with only the faintest speckling to endpapers and fore-edge of book block; scarce in this condition. First edition, first issue, of this sought-after, and elusive, children's classic by the famed cartoonist and inventor of whimsically elaborate machines to complete basic everyday tasks. The name Heath Robinson has entered the lexicon to describe a particular brand of British eccentricity. In this fairy tale Heath Robinson weaves together a ridiculous, and riotous, series of events which exploit this talent. The main protagonist, a 15 year-old-boy named Bill, devises an array of gadgets to solve the problems faced by the eccentric figures he meets on his adventures. These include characters as diverse as the green-toed button crane of Baraboo, and a Sicilian cleaning lady. Given the task of looking after his younger cousins Boadicea and Chad, Bill and the two youngsters enjoy a loosely connected series of mind-bending experiences as the story unfurls. Following the great success of his first major work, the masterpiece Uncle Lubin (1902), Heath Rob

• Binding: Hardcover

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