The Water-Babies (1863) has claim to being the most peculiar book ever to achieve the status of a children's classic. The story follows Tom in his land-life as a climbing boy for a chimney sweep and in his after-life as a water-baby, where he gains redemption from selfishness as well as from drudgery. On top of this fantasy Kingsley grafts a series of digressions and comic asides, through which he comments on a range of contemporary issues. This is the first edition to explore fully Kingsley's text, its variants, and its iconography, and to annotate the many references which enrich the story.