The House of Arden

London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1908. First edition. Cloth. Good. 8" by 5". H. R. Millar. A scarce first edition children's fantasy novel by Edith Nesbit, an illustrated time travelliing adventure. The first edition of this scarce work.A lesser known children's book by Edith Nesbit, 'The House of Arden' follows a young boy who inherits the dilapidated Arden Castle. He and his sister search for the castle's lost treasure, travelling back in time to find clues. The siblings travel to c1535, with a May Day celebration with Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII, to the Gunpowder Plot in 1605, to c1705 seeing a visit from the Old Pretender, and to Napoleon's planned invasion in 1807. Finally the siblings are transported to a lost civilisation in South America.Illustrated by H. R. Millar with a frontispiece, and thirty-two plates.Nesbit is beloved for her classic children's novels, of which she wrote around forty during her life. She often wrote in a contemporary fantasy setting, which inspired many authors, such as Diana Wynne Jones, J. K. Rowling, and C. S. Lewis.Collated, complete.Two pages of adverts to the rear. In the original publisher's cloth binding. Externally, generally smart,with bumping to the head and tail of the spine and to the extremities resulting in a small amount of loss to the head of the spine. Some light marks to the boards and spine, including a faint damp stain to the front board. A couple of very small chips to the joints. Spine is a little faded. Internally, generally firmly bound. Pages are bright and clean with the occasional light handling mark and scattered spot. Good