Bible Scenes and Stories for Young People – F. McCready Harris – 1883 | Illustrated by Gustave Doré

The 1883 Bible Scenes and Stories for Young People, authored by F. McCready Harris and illustrated by Gustave Doré, is a late 19th-century adaptation of biblical stories for children. Issued by Cassell Publishing in New York, this edition combines simplified scriptural narratives with printed wood engravings based on Doré’s earlier designs. Its visual and moral instruction is presented through accessible prose, making it a representative example of illustrated religious texts marketed to American families in the Victorian period. This is the first U.S. appearance of the title.

The engravings are rendered after Doré’s larger compositions and adapted to this smaller format. The layout includes wide margins and evenly spaced text. The type is set in clear Roman face, printed on toned stock of medium weight. This first American printing differs from the UK counterpart in format and binding, with this issue featuring a distinctive decorative cloth design not repeated in later reprints.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Bible Scenes and Stories for Young People
• Author(s): F. McCready Harris
• Illustrator(s): Gustave Doré
• Publisher: Cassell Publishing Company, New York
• Edition: First American edition, 1883
• Format: Quarto, single volume
• Binding: Original green, gilt, and black-stamped cloth
• Size: 12 in × 9.75 in (30.5 cm × 25 cm)
• Collation: 216
• Illustrations: 36 full-page wood engravings by Doré
• Contents Include:
  • Retellings of major Old and New Testament events
  • Commentary for young readers
  • Engraved illustrations

Condition:

Very Good. Binding sound with mild fraying at foot of spine and at corners. Gilt remains bright on cover and spine. Text block clean overall, with mild age toning. Plates show strong impressions. No ownership markings observed.

Why Collect This?

• First American edition of Harris’s Bible stories with Doré engravings
• Features original publisher’s decorative cloth binding, uncommon in clean condition
• Adaptation of Doré’s artwork into a juvenile scriptural format
• Issued by Cassell’s New York office, part of their expanding U.S. catalog
• Of interest to collectors of Victorian religious publishing, Doré, or youth Bibles

Item Number: #28893