When Tom, a young chimney sweep, falls into a river and drowns, he is transformed from a twelve-year-old boy who has known nothing but brutality and poverty into a 'water-baby'. In an underwater world surrounded by fairies, insects and water nymphs, he soon discovers a new life of adventure and excitement. With a beautiful foiled cover and glorious inside illustrations by Mabel Lucie Attwell, this edition of Charles Kingsley's The Water-Babies, first published in 1863 is a truly special gift to treasure.
 
Biographical note
Charles Kingsley was a priest, university professor, historian and novelist. The Water-Babies was his most famous novel and was originally written and published as a serial in Macmillan's Magazine from 1862-1863 before being published in its entirety as a book in 1863.  Mabel Lucie Attwell was a British illustrator known for her drawings of children, based on her daughter, Peggy. She studied at Heatherley's and Saint Martin's School of Art before illustrating for magazines and books, including Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Peter Pan and The Water-Babies.