Old John. Illustrated by Helen Sewell. London: George Allen, 1937. First UK Edition. Pp, 183. Coloured linen boards in publisher’s dust jacket & pictorial endpapers. A fine bright copy.

Máirín Cregan [1891-1975] was and Irish Nationalist & Republican Activist, and a member of Cumann na mban. Se was directly involved in the 1916 Rising and War of Independence & received a medal for her service, which including running guns and ammunition.

Cregan was a teacher who later made her name writing stories for children, as well as plays and novels for adults. This is the First UK Edition of her first Children’s book, Old John, which gained considerable international success and attention.

First published in New York in 1936, the Irish Language edition was illustrated by Jack B. Yeats and published the following year.