LITTLE RIVERS : A BOOK OF ESSAYS IN PROFITABLE IDLENESS; Cover Design by Margaret Neilson Armstrong and Illustrations by F.V. DuMond
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1908. Seventh printing. Hardcover. Octavo, 7.75 in. x 5 in., pp. 348. Illustrated with tissue-guarded color frontis and seven additional plates. Dark blue cloth covers with a bright, gorgeous gilt title framed with a gilt, white and green floral and dragonfly design to front. Gilt title and flower design to spine. Rubbing to corners with bottom rear cover nudged. Red and black ink to title page. Unmarked interior. Very Good. Item #88944
Even if you have no interest in fishing, or fishing-cum-philosophy, or rivers, or books and reading for that matter, this positively gorgeous front cover by Margaret Armstrong is a gem in itself.
Margaret Neilson Armstrong (1867–1944) was a 19th and early 20th-century American book cover designer, illustrator, and author. She is best known for her book covers influenced by Art Nouveau. She also wrote and illustrated the first comprehensive guide to wildflowers of the American west, Field Book of Western Wild Flowers (1915). In later life, she wrote two popular biographies and three mystery novels.has been called "the most productive and accomplished American book designer of the 1890s and early 1900s". Beginning in 1895, she began to leave her monogram on most of her covers; it is a simple 'MA' in upper case with the 'M' slightly overlapping the 'A'. Armstrong's designs were so successful that publishers sometimes hired artists specifically to imitate her look. Armstrong cut back on book cover design around 1913 as color-illustrated dust jackets began to come into fashion and turned to writing her own books. (Wikipedia).
Price: $45.00