Baum's Mother Goose

Mother Goose in Prose was the first book I read by L. Frank Baum that was not an Oz book. It's a collection of charming "explanations" of Mother Goose rhymes, filling in gaps and turning the familiar tales into fleshed-out accounts. Sometimes the explanations feel a bit forced, but it's still a fun collection of short stories!

In the mid-1970's there was a burst of popularity for the work of Maxfield Parrish, and I was given a copy of the 1974 edition published by Bounty Books. The popularity of Parrish can be seen by comparing the large elaborate font used for his name on the cover to the much smaller, plainer font used for the author. The original edition didn't even mention Parrish on the cover, but his distinctive artwork may have been advertising enough!

Mother Goose in Prose was the first book illustrated by Parrish, as well as L. Frank Baum's first published children's book. I recently added a later edition to my collection, the last Bobbs-Merrill printing of the title. This was in publication between the 1920's and 1940's.

I find these two versions to be the most attractive printings of this book. The first edition, published by Way & Williams in 1897, is an oversized book with a bold cover printed with a color Parrish image that isn't used within the book itself. The same image is repeated on the rear cover, turning the entire book into an advertising poster. The Bobbs-Merrill edition is reduced to the standard size of an Oz book, but the cover is unique for adding color to one of the illustrations Parrish drew for the interior of the volume. Both are eye-catching, and cry out to be picked up and looked at.

In the original edition the pages are large and well printed, making the most of the detailed illustrations. The later version adds a fun touch by printing the pictures in red on a yellow background, but the print quality is not quite as good. Incidentally, the illustration shown (for The Three Wise Men of Gotham) was printed on an angle in the original edition, giving the image a added dynamic. It was straightened for all editions after that.