Old Sinhalese Nursery Rhymes and Folk Songs


  • :
  • ,
  • .
    First Edition.

    29cm x 23cm. [36] pages, black and white illustrations, tissue guards. Soft leather wrappers, gilt lettering, illustrated jacket.

    A collection of nursery rhymes and folk songs of the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka collected and with illustrations by Heather Hamer nee Hammond. Originally from Adelaide, Hamer earlier published works pseudonymously as Woolmer Gatty, including a poem in The Bulletin, before moving to Sri Lanka with her husband, an owner of a tea and rubber plantation. Many of the rhymes in this book are taken from ‘The Taprobanian: A Dravidian Journal of Oriental Studies in and around Ceylon,’ edited by Hugh Nevill, and others gathered locally by Hamer. Following the publication of this work, there was a 1936 exhibition of her drawings in Adelaide. Foreword by Sir Solomon Dias Bandaranaike in which he states “In terms of pure decorative art Heather Hamer is spiritually in the direct line of descent from Aubrey Beardsley.” Scarce, 3 copies in OCLC at December, 2020.

    Near Fine Condition in Fair Jacket. Very minor handling wear. Previous owner’s name and bookseller label of John McGrath, Adelaide. Chipping and tearing to jacket spine with some loss and small tape repair at head. Front flap splitting at head and tail. Near Fine Condition.

    SOLD

    SKU: 0019834 Categories: , , , ,