It was early Spring. A warm sun shone down upon the city street. On the edge of the narrow brick sidewalk a little girl was sitting...

{HISTORY}

 .... and so begins one of the most popular children's books of the early-to-mid 20th century. Clematis, first published in 1917 was written by American husband and wife literary team, Bertha Browning and Ernest Cobb.

The story centers around a little girl named Clematis who is found sitting on street curb with a cat named Deborah. Without any connection to parents or family, she is sent to live in a city orphanage where she makes friends and learns many new skills. When she falls sick, a doctor sends her to the country to recover, and as an "intense" lover of nature, Clematis flourishes. Ultimately, an unsuspecting friendship results in Clematis finding her forever home and family.

Adored by children around the country when it debuted in 1917, Clematis was a top pick on library lists across the US. This is significant adulation because it wasn't librarians nor parents who were the ones picking these recommended reads - it was the kids themselves selecting their most favorite books of the year. Designed and written to be read by kids, not to kids by their parents, the attractive layout, colorful illustrations, realistic language, and simple sentence structures made the story satisfying for kids to both read and relate to.  

Reprinted several times during the 20th century, this is the 1950 edition with original 1917 illustrations by A.G. Cram and Willis Levis. It is inscribed to Judy and signed by the author, Ernest Cobb in 1954. 

Ernest Cobb (1877-1964) and Bertha Browning Barnes (1867-1951),  natives of the Boston, MA area were longtime children's book writers and publishers of supplemental reading guides and storybooks for grade school students. The authors of over a dozen books, Bertha and Ernest were married in 1904 and published their first book together in 1912  - The Busy Builder's Book and from there published new titles every couple of years through the mid-1940s.

While all of their books were well received, Clematis was one of their most beloved books along with Arlo (published in 1915) which was included in the Congressional Library as a classic of children's literature. 

Now a rare, hard-to-find, out-of-print book Clematis is not only a sweet story but a great example of early 20th-century American children's literature. 

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

• 1950 Edition by the Arlo Publishing Company
• Signed by the author 
• 246 pages
• Suggested third-grade reading level
• Illustrated by A.G. Cram and Willis Levis 
• Rare find

{CONDITION}

In lovely vintage condition, this book contains some light staining to its spring green coverboards. The interior endpapers are lightly tanned due to age. Ernest Cobb's inscription and signature are written in pen on the inside endpaper. The interior illustrations are bright and colorful and the interior pages very clean. The spine is tight and all pages are intact.

{SIZE}

Measures 7"inches (length) x 4.75" inches (width) x .5" inches (thickness) and weighs 9 oz.