Cautionary Verses - Tapa dura

The Chief Defect of Henry King

Was chewing little bits of String.

At last he swallowed some which tied

Itself in ugly knots inside ...

Hilaire Belloc’s Cautionary Verses were first published in 1939. 416 pages of moral instruction! Seven books in one! 381 inspiring pictures! These were the tongue-in-cheek selling points for what was to become a classic anthology.

In this edition, which retains the charm of the original format, Quentin Blake’s characteristically quirky pictures are set alongside the original illustrations by B.T.B., and add a new vigour to Belloc’s verse. It will be welcomed by Belloc aficionados throughout the English-speaking world, as well as introducing the wit and elegance of one of the twentieth century’s most popular poets to a whole new readership.

Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953) was born in France of part-French Catholic ancestry, and educated at Newman’s Oratory School and at Balliol College, Oxford. From 1906 to 1909, and again in 1910, he was Liberal MP for Salford. He was literary editor of the Morning Post from 1906 to 1910, founder of Eye-witness (1911) and author of innumerable essays and reviews. As well as writing books of verse and novels, he also wrote on religious, social and political topics. The best remembered of his prose works include The Path to Rome (1902), Mr Clutterbuck’s Election (1908), The Servile State (1912), The Cruise of the Nona (1925) and Belinda (1928).