The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Song of Sixpence, by Walter Crane

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Title: The Song of Sixpence
Picture Book

Author: Walter Crane

Release Date: May 8, 2006 [EBook #18344]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SONG OF SIXPENCE ***

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THE SONG OF SIXPENCE
PICTURE BOOK

[Illustration: CONTAINING
SING A SONG OF SIXPENCE
PRINCESS BELLE ETOILE
ALPHABET OF OLD FRIENDS]

WALTER
CRANE'S
PICTURE
BOOKS

LONDON & NEW YORK: JOHN LANE

[Illustration]
[Illustration]

THE SONG OF SIXPENCE
PICTURE BOOK

CONTAINING SING A
SONG OF SIXPENCE; PRINCESS
BELLE ETOILE; AN ALPHABET OF
OLD FRIENDS: WITH THE ORIGINAL
COLOURED DESIGNS BY
WALTER CRANE

INCLUDING A PREFACE AND
OTHER EMBELLISHMENTS

[Illustration]

LONDON & NEW YORK JOHN LANE
THE BODLEY HEAD

PREFACE

Whether the Poet undertook to write and SING A SONG OF SIXPENCE for that
popular price is not stated in his simple rhyme, but, at all events, we
learn that he started with "a pocket full," and proceeded to draw on his
imagination for all it was worth. What that famous blackbird-pie really
cost--except in black-birds--is not disclosed, though the King seemed to
show some anxiety about the state of his treasury, as he was discovered
"in his counting house" imediately after the feast. But while the Queen,
regardless of expense, regales herself on "bread and honey" in "the
parlour", and her Maid-of-honour, or perhaps of-all-work, is engaged at
the clothes-line, nothing is said about a princess.

No doubt there was a princess, and that Princess might have been
PRINCESS BELLE-ETOILE? Anyway here she is in the same boat--I mean
book--and certainly her adventures are romantic enough to prevent any
surprise at the company in which Her Highness now finds herself.

Even princesses cannot do without Alphabets, and so in her train comes
AN ALPHABET in which will be discovered many OLD and tried FRIENDS of
the Nursery.

Thus we launc