"A book to be shared with a special child, preferably over hot cocoa." --The Iowan magazine "This book would make a pleasant gift for a child or collector or lover of Mother Goose." --Maine Antique Digest The magic of Mother Goose comes to life in this collection of lore, illustrations, ads, and postcards from the late 1800s to the 1930s. Each chapter explores the history of Mother Goose from the first publications of her now-famous nursery rhymes to early postcards that became collectibles in the early 1900s. With illustrations from well-known artists such as Kate Greenaway, Thomas Nast, Walter Crane, and Ethel Franklin Betts, the author brings Mother Goose to life. Included are dozens of nursery rhymes with everything from children's classics like "Old King Cole" to riddles like "I was going to St. Ives."

Who was Mother Goose? Where did she come from, and when? Although she’s one of the most beloved characters in Western literature, Mother Goose’s origins have seemed lost in the mists of time. Several have tried to pin her down, claiming she was the mother of Charlemagne, the wife of Clovis (King of the Franks), the Queen of Sheba, or even Elizabeth Goose of Boston, Massachusetts. Others think she’s related to mysterious goose-footed statues in old French churches called “Queen Pedauque.” This book delves deeply into the surviving evidence for Mother Goose’s origins – from her nursery rhymes and fairy tales as well as from relevant historical, mythological, and anthropological data. Until now, no one has ever confidently identified this intriguing yet elusive literary figure. So who was the real Mother Goose? The answer might surprise you.

Vintage artwork and the classic Disney characters add a world of charm to these perennial Mother Goose nursery rhyme favorites–from “Peter Pumpkin Eater,” “Hey, Diddle, Diddle,” and “Little Miss Muffet” to “Jack Sprat,” “Simple Simon,” “Old King Cole,” and more. This Little Golden Book from the 1940s is a must-have addition to every Little Golden Book collector’s library.

Sing a Song o' Sixpence The Story of Little Boy Blue The Cat and the Fiddle The Black Sheep Old King Cole Mistress Mary The Wond'rous Wise Man What Jack Horner Did The Man in the Moon The Jolly Miller The Little Man and His Little Gun Hickory, Dickory, Dock Little Bo-Peep The Story of Tommy Tucker Pussy-cat Mew How the Beggars Came to Town Tom, the Piper's Son Humpty Dumpty The Woman Who Lived in a Shoe Little Miss Muffet Three Wise Men of Gotham Little Bun Rabbit

Excerpt from Mother Goose, or the Old Nursery Rhymes Tamar/get, 10 mar/eez' 10 buy a plum cake elsie/marley bay grawn sofine Dafijl-aown kas'eome up to {own jack Spraz' mn/a'ea/ no fat. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.