Peacock Pie | Litsy

Peacock Pie: A Book of Rhymes | Walter de la Mare

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A book of poems for children? Perhaps, if written by Uncle Edgar Allen Poe for niece and nephew Wednesday and Pugsley Addams 💀
While not overtly horrific, the overall atmosphere is of melancholy, loss, death, night and febrile passion.
The opening poem, The Horseman, initially reads as a bit of nonsense nursery rhyme, but then, surely, the pale rider on his ivory horse coming over the moonlit hill can be none other than Death stalking the ⬇️

Bookwomble ... fitfully sleeping child.
Emett's illustration is of the gangling "Thief at Robin's Castle", who steals not only Robin's silverware, but his children, whose hands imploringly poke out of his swag bag. Raised as his own, the children "never really loved him" despite his stolen riches.
I initially thought this would be a slight set of childish rhymes, but they're ageless, dark, macabre and fey. I loved them ?
⬇️ 2d

Bookwomble Sibelius's "Valse Triste" (Sad Waltz) from his score to the drama "Kuolema" (Death) catches something of the mood:
https://youtu.be/5Ls8-pk4IS4?si=isJZxdiecsifeir_ 2d

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Bookwomble

Peacock Pie: A Book of Rhymes | Walter de la Mare

I picked this up in Keswick Oxfam last week: a 1942 illustrated edition of a Walter de la Mare collection of poems for children. It's in reasonable shape, except that Oxfam vandalised it with non-removable stickers on the rear of the dust jacket! I mean, why would you? 🤷‍♂️ Anyway, de la Mare is one of those authors I've always known of, but never read other than the odd short story here and there, so worth reading a book just to have done so.

Ruthiella At least it‘s on the back? Have you tried using a hairdryer to loosen the glue? It‘s worked for me in the past. 🤞 4d

Bookwomble @Ruthiella The jacket isn't glossy, so I'm not sure if that technique will work. 4d

IndoorDame What a great find! 🤩 …sometime the stickers on old matte paper are truly impossible, which is just evil 😠 but overall Ive had the best luck with goo-gone 4d

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Bookwomble @IndoorDame Thanks for the tip. If not heard of that product, but I'll look out for it, for other sticky situations even if not for this one! 4d

LeahBergen What a fab cover! 4d

Lesliereadsalot I love the cover! Reminds me of the old Wizard of Oz books I still collect. 3d

Aimeesue Excellent cover 💙 3d

Bookwomble @LeahBergen @Lesliereadsalot @Aimeesue It is a fab cover, isn't it? ? The illustrator is F. R. Emett, and the cover shows the 'Three Jolly Farmers" who bet on which of them can dance the longest. 2d

Aimeesue @Bookwomble That is a lot of jolly! 2d

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