The author, Florence Kate Upton (1873-1922), an American-born English cartoonist was best known for her Golliwogg series. The Golliwogg character was inspired by an old children's toy found by Upton and this title is his first appearance before becoming the dominant character in subsequent titles. For the past few decades the Golliwogg series were at the heart of the debate about whether the main character is a lovable icon or a racist symbol. In the 1960s' inter-racial tensions climate many Golliwogg books were withdrawn from public libraries, many Golliwogg images were destroyed and the manufacturing of Golliwogg dolls dwindled.

First edition; oblong 4to; 32 full-page, colour illustrations, numerous sepia decorations within text; publisher's quarter cloth over colour-illustrated boards, near-contemporary ink ownership to front free endpaper, mild rubbing to extremities, some very mild age-creasing to paper covering boards, otherwise exceptionally clean and original, extremely scarce thus.