Scarce WWI Children's Book

Mother Goose in War Time [cover title]

Nardin, George F. and Gladys Wheat

Publication: [Columbia?, MO]: Department of Patriotic Education, Women's Committee, National Council of Defense, Missouri Division, 1918.

Notes: Mother Goose rhymes rewritten to encourage conservation and the purchase of War Saving Stamps to fund the United States' entry into World War One. The verse is by George Nardin. An art teacher at the University of Missouri, Gladys Wheat, provided most of the illustrations; the rest were contributed by her students.

The project appears to have begun as a poster series. In the form of this small children's war pamphlet, it had some success (see Bethany Republican-Clipper, Wed., Apr 03, 1918, page 5). There are several variants of the pamphlet, with different colored wrappers and two versions of the first page. This copy has a typeset first page; other copies have a hand-drawn first page. This copy is priced at 10 cents on the first page; copies with hand-drawn first pages have two prices on the last page, 10 cents for the book and 12 cents for copies sent through the mail. Copies with typeset first pages indicate the proceeds will go to "patriotic uses" while the other copies designate funds to "child welfare."

I think there's a good logical argument that the typeset first page copies are first: 1) first page is less attractive; usually books are revised for the better; 2) the addition of the postage paid option is more likely to have been added after the pamphlet gained popularity and copies needed to be sent through the mail; 3) the use of funds for patriotic purposes sounds more like a war-time project, replaced with child welfare after the Armistice (conservation efforts and food drives continued after the war to feed Europeans). However, none of these are definitive; for example, the hand-drawn first page printing plate might have become damaged and it was replaced; and the removal of a postpaid option could indicate slower sales no longer requiring that.

[20] pages.

Edition + Condition: Scarce war-themed children's book. A very good copy, with minor surface scarring on the front cover and a creased corner on the back wrapper.

Item No: #365416

Price: $125