Yr Hwiangerddi

O. M. Edwards was a renowned editor, writer, historian and educator. From 1888 onwards he devoted his energy to publishing popular books and journals, especially volumes concerning the history and culture of Wales. From 1896 to 1930 he was a professor of History at Aberystwyth University, however Edwards would continue to write, edit and proof-correct out of his official working times and often in the early hours of the morning. One cannot overestimate his service to Wales, and indeed, Edwards’s influence reached extensively further than the university lecture room. He wrote many books for children, including ‘Yr Hwiangerddi’; a book of nursery rhymes. These books were attractive, packed with illustrations and their texts easy to read. Edwards’s children’s books were unique in the sense that they provided age appropriate content for a young target audience through the medium of Welsh for the first time.