ADAM, Albert; ROSTAING, Jules

Jardin Des Plantes En Estampes, le

Paris: Maison Martinet - Hautecoeur, Frères, 1860. With Twenty-Four Superb Hand Colored Lithograph Plates Depicting All Species of Animals [ADAM, Albert, illustrator]. ROSTAING, Jules. Le Jardin Des Plantes en Estampes. Dessiné et Lithographié par A. Adam. Accompagné d'une histoire De Tous Les Animaux Que Possède La Ménagerie par Jules Rostaing. Paris: Maison Martinet - Hautecoeur, Frères, [1860]. First edition. Large oblong quarto (10 3/16 x 13 1/2 inches; 259 x 343 mm.). [iv], 30, [1, table], [1, blank] pp. Twenty four superb hand-colored lithograph plates, heightened with gum arabic and with multiple images. Some light foxing to text leaves only, the plates bright and clean. Publisher's black pebble-grain cloth, front cover pictorially stamped and lettered in gilt, lower cover with center blind-stamped decoration, yellow coated end-papers, front inner hinge expertly and almost invisibly repaired. Neat early ink inscription on front fly-leaf dated 1860. The wonderful hand-colored plates depict Bison, Deer, Moose, Antelope, Lama, Goats, Birds, Giraffe, Buffalo, Elephant, Hippopotomus, Rhino, Camel, Zebra, Donkey, Lion, Tiger, Leopard, Jackal, Wolves, Hyena, Orang-Outang, Monkeys, Dogs, Birds of Prey, Crocodile, Snakes, Gazelle, and People. Albert ADAM (1833-1900) was the son of Caricaturist and lithographer Jean-Victor Adam (1801-1867) whom he often assisted with his commissions. OCLC locates just one copy - The Morgan Libary, NY (Gordon Ray copy). Unknown to Denise, Bibliography of the Jardin des Plantes. .

David Brass Rare Books (ABAA/ILAB)Professional seller

Book number: 04374

Catalogue: Children's Books

Keywords: ROSTAING, Jules Color-Plate Books Books in French Natural History

ALEXANDER, Lloyd

[the Chronicles of Prydain]

New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1995. The Chronicles of Prydain 'Too dark for some- too comedic for others' A complete set of later editions, each one signed by the Author on the title page ALEXANDER, Lloyd. [The Chronicles of Prydain] : The Book of Three; The Black Cauldron; The Castle of Llyr; Taran Wanderer; The High King. New York: Henry Holt and Company, [ca. 1995]. A near fine set of later editions, each volume signed by the author on the title-pages. Five works, octavo (9 x 6 inches; 229 x 152 mm.). Publisher's green, red, gray, brown and blue boards, front covers of the first two titles lettered in blind, spines lettered in black. Pictorial dust jackets by Evaline Ness. The Black Cauldron with the 1966 Newbery Honor label label on front panel of dust jacket, and The High King with the 1969 Newbery Medal label on front panel of dust jacket. The High King with some minor insect damage to lower edge of front board, still a very good set. This captivating children's pentalogy, inspired by Welsh mythology, takes place in the fictional land of Prydain, a name derived from the medieval Welsh term for Britain. Among the series' accolades, The Black Cauldron received a Newbery Honor in 1966, while The High King won the prestigious Newbery Medal in 1969. At the core of Lloyd Alexander’s literary legacy are three major series, with The Chronicles of Prydain standing as his most influential. Many contemporary fantasy writers cite it as a key inspiration. The series begins with The Book of Three, which follows the narrative traditions of Welsh legends like The Mabinogion but evolves into a modern fantasy exploring 20th-century themes. Fast-paced and engaging, the story follows heroic characters, particularly Taran, an assistant pig-keeper who ultimately rises to rule a new kingdom. Recognizing the series' potential, Disney adapted it into The Black Cauldron, released in 1985. However, after test screenings deemed some scenes too intense for children, the film underwent edits before its release. Despite these efforts, it struggled at the box office. Some attributed its failure to tonal imbalances—too dark for younger audiences yet too comedic for others. In particular, the climactic sequence was considered especially intense and unsettling for children. Lloyd Chudley Alexander (1924–2007) was an American author of more than 40 books, primarily fantasy novels for children and young adults. Over his seven-decade career, he wrote 48 books, with his works translated into 20 languages. His most renowned work, The Chronicles of Prydain, concluded with The High King, which won the 1969 Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature. He also received U.S. National Book Awards in 1971 and 1982. Alexander was particularly fascinated with Welsh mythology, especially The Mabinogion. The plot of The Book of Three was inspired by a fragment from the Myvyrian Archaiology. Initially, Alexander signed a book deal with Henry Holt and Company for a trilogy called The Sons of Llyr. He resisted simplifying the Welsh names, believing they added an essential sense of mood and mystery. After releasing The Book of Three (1964), the series became known as The Chronicles of Prydain. The second book, The Black Cauldron, followed in 1965. While working on the third book, The Castle of Llyr (1966), Alexander realized the story needed more space to unfold, prompting him to expand the series from three to four books, culminating in The High King. However, after experiencing a near-death encounter, he rushed to finish the conclusion, fearing he wouldn’t complete his saga. His editor, Ann Durell, intervened, suggesting an additional novel between The Castle of Llyr and The High King—this became Taran Wanderer (1967), ultimately making The Chronicles of Prydain a five-book series. The series chronicles the adventures of Taran, a young man who aspires to be a heroic warrior but begins his journey with the humble title of Assistant Pig-Keeper. Through trials and growth, he embarks on an epic quest, discovering that true heroism lies in wisdom, humility, and perseverance. .

David Brass Rare Books (ABAA/ILAB)Professional seller

Book number: 06166

Catalogue: Children's Books

Keywords: Fantasy Literature Signed Copies

BALLANTYNE, Robert Michael

Coral Island, the: A Tale of the Pacific Ocean-

London: T. Nelson and Sons, 1858. Excessively Rare First Edition, First Issue, of “The Coral Island” The Edgar Osborne Copy Exhibited at The Festival of Britain Books in 1951 BALLANTYNE, Robert Michael. The Coral Island: A Tale of the Pacific Ocean- With Illustrations by the Author. London: T. Nelson and Sons, 1858. First edition, first issue, with the plate “Terrible Encounter with a Shark” facing p. 76 (in the second issue, it was tipped in as the frontispiece). Octavo (7 x 4 5/8 inches; 177 x 117 mm.). viii, [9]-438, [2, blank] pp. Color-printed frontispiece, color-printed pictorial title, and six color-printed plates after drawings by the author. Plate facing p. 214 with original tissue-guard. Publisher’s first issue binding of royal blue diagonal ripple-grain cloth with covers decoratively stamped in blind and front cover and spine pictorially stamped and lettered in gilt. Original pale yellow coated endpapers. The binding is worn and the gilt on the front cover is quite dull. The spine has been expertly repaired with a small piece missing from the center left and some loss of cloth at head and foot. Corners a little worn , inner hinges expertly restored. Neat early ink presentation (December 25th 1859) on front pastedown. Small ink stain on fore-edge affecting pp. 297 to end. Page 387/388 has the top blank margin (1 x 3 3/8 inches) torn away not affecting any text but just touching the page number on verso. There is a small stain at the top blank corner of page 339. There are also several leaves with small portions of the lower blank corners missing (possibly original paper-faults). We have been super critical in our description - overall a good copy of this extremely scarce nineteenth-century children’s book. Only a handful of copies of the first issue in the original cloth have sold at auction in the past fifty years. This copy comes from the library of a very well-known collector of English Literature who died in 2008. It was exhibited at the Festival of Britain Exhibition of Books 1951 which was arranged by the National Book League at the Victoria & Albert Museum as exhibit no. 68. The original exhibition slip is loosely inserted. Together with a copy (ex library) of the original 1951 Festival of Britain Exhibition of Books catalog listing this copy on p. 33 (item no. 68) listing the lender as the renowned librarian and founder of one of the premier collections of children's fiction, Edgar Osborne. “Most of the incidents used in the plot of ‘The Coral Island’, the author’s most famous book, Ballantyne culled from an obscure work entitled ‘The Island Home; or, The Young Cast-Aways’, by James F. Bowman, who wrote under the pseudonym of Christopher Romaunt. ‘The Island Home’ was published in Boston, U.S.A. in 1851, and by Nelson’s of Edinburgh in 1852, and Ballantyne took a copy with him to Burntisland, near Edinburgh, where he spent a fortnight’s holiday during the summer of 1857. The full story is given in chapter six of Ballantyne the Brave. The writer’s other main source of information was ‘Recent Exploring Expeditions to the Pacific, and the South Seas’ by J.S. Jenkins, published by Nelsons in 1853” (Quayle). Robert Michael Ballantyne (1825-1894) was a Scottish author of juvenile fiction who wrote more than one hundred books. He was also an accomplished artist, and exhibited some of his water-colors at the Royal Scottish Academy. The Coral Island (1858) is the most popular of the Ballantyne novels still read and remembered today, but because of one mistake he made in that book, in which he gave an incorrect thickness of coconut shells, he subsequently attempted to gain first-hand knowledge of his subject matter. For instance, he spent some time living with the lighthouse keepers at the Bell Rock before writing The Lighthouse, and while researching for Deep Down he spent time with the tin miners of Cornwall. Edgar Osborne (1890–1978) was a distinguished librarian, an able administrator, scholar and collector, who founded one of the premier collections of children's fiction, the Osborne Collection of Early Children's Books. The Osborne Collection of Early Children's Books 1566-1910, volume I, p. 322; Quayle. R.M. Ballantyne. A Bibliography of First Editions. 12a; Sadleir 103. .

David Brass Rare Books (ABAA/ILAB)Professional seller

Book number: 05045

Catalogue: Children's Books

Keywords: Illustrated Books European Literature Nineteenth-Century Literature

BAUM, L. Frank; PARRISH, Maxfield, illustrator

Mother Goose in Prose

Chicago: Way and Williams, 1897. L. Frank Baum’s First Juvenile and the First Book Illustrated by Maxfield Parrish BAUM, L. Frank. [PARRISH, Maxfield, illustrator]. Mother Goose in Prose. Chicago: Way and Williams, [1897]. First edition, second issue (with two blank leaves after the printer's imprint at end). Large quarto (11 1/8 x 9 1/8 inches: 282 x 232 mm.). 265, [3] pp. Fourteen half-tone plates (including frontispiece) by Maxfield Parrish. Some occasional and very light mainly marginal spotting. Plate facing p. 68 with tiny (1/8 inch) marginal tear; plate facing p. 102 with a clean crease and three small marginal tears (1/4 inch, 1/4 inch & 1 1/8 inch) not affecting plate margin. Original light gray cloth, covers pictorially stamped in color, spine decoratively lettered in gilt. Corners a little bumped, spine slightly toned, gilt lettering a little dull. Aside from the above minor faults, this is an excellent and all original example - with no restoration to the binding, of L. Frank Baum’s first published juvenile and the first book illustrated by Maxfield Parrish. Mother Goose in Prose is a collection of twenty-two children's stories inspired by classic Mother Goose nursery rhymes. It was the first children's book written by L. Frank Baum and also marked the debut of Maxfield Parrish as an illustrator. Originally published in 1897 by Way and Williams of Chicago, the book was later reissued in 1901 by the George M. Hill Company. Baum introduces the collection with a preface tracing the history of Mother Goose. Each story begins with the original nursery rhyme, followed by an expanded narrative that provides a broader literary context. The stories included are: Sing a Song o' Sixpence The Story of Little Boy Blue The Cat and the Fiddle Black Sheep Old King Cole Mistress Mary The Wond'rous Wise Man What Jack Horner Did The Man in the Moon The Jolly Miller The Little Man and His Little Gun Hickory, Dickory, Dock Little Bo-Peep The Story of Tommy Tucker Pussy-cat Mew How the Beggars Came to Town Tom, Tom, the Piper's Son Humpty Dumpty The Woman Who Lived in a Shoe Little Miss Muffet Three Wise Men of Gotham Little Bun Rabbit The final story features a girl named Dorothy who can communicate with animals—a concept that foreshadows Baum’s later Oz series. When republishing this tale in Juvenile Speaker (1910) and The Snuggle Tales (1916–17), Baum changed her name to Doris to avoid confusion with Dorothy Gale. Despite its elegant production, Mother Goose in Prose was considered expensive for a children's book and achieved only moderate commercial success. Its publisher, Way and Williams, went bankrupt the following year. In response, Baum shifted his approach, writing original verses for Father Goose: His Book in 1899. In 1990, The Jim Henson Company adapted the book into a television series titled Jim Henson's Mother Goose Stories. Baughman 44. The Baum Bugle, Spring 1966, p. 14. .

David Brass Rare Books (ABAA/ILAB)Professional seller

Book number: 06086

Catalogue: Children's Books

Keywords: PARRISH, Maxfield, illustrator Illustrated Books

BRES, Jean Pierre

Simples Histoires Trouvees Dans Un Pot Au Lait

Paris: Chez Lefuel, 1825. Complete and Exceptionally Fine in its Original Box Eight Superb Hand Colored Stipple Engravings of Young 'Entrepreneurs' BRES, Jean Pierre. Simples Histoires, Trouvées Dans Un Pot Au Lait. Par M. Bres. Paris: Chez Lefuel, 1825. Eight small octavo volumes in original hand-colored lithograph box. Each volume with a color-printed stipple engraving, finished in color by hand. First Edition. Eight small octavo volumes (6 x 4 inches; 152 x 101 mm.). [1-7], 8-34, [2, blank]; [1-7], 8-35, [1, blank]; [1-7], 8-35, [1, blank]; [1-7], 8-37, [3, blank]; [1-7], 8-34, [2, blank]; [2, blank], [iv], vi, [7-9], 10-39, [3, blank]; [1-7], 8-34, [2, blank]; [1-7], 8-32, pp. Each volume has a color-printed stipple engraving, finished in color by hand, of a child dressed in the manner to suit each cover title. The title-pages of all volumes are titled Simples Histoires, Trouvées Dans Un Pot Au Lait. (Simple Stories Found in a Pot of Milk). Original color lithographed pale blue stiff wrappers, finished by hand in colors. Housed in the original double-compartment box with the title and a colored lithograph on the lid. The lid of the box is bordered in decoratively embossed gold foil which continues down the edges of the lid. Lower portion of box with gold border, original pink and blue ribbon pulls. An exceptionally fine and complete set in the original lithographed box. Some light sporadic foxing, small ex library number stamped in blue on verso of each title-page and in the margin of one other leaf. This is a spectacular and wonderful set of this early French children's title. In the Gumuchian catalog it is featured as the color frontispiece and its value is listed at 3000 FF. Exceptionally rare complete and in the original box. The titles: Le Petit Batelier (The Little Boatman) Le Petit Savoyard (The Little Boy of Savoy) Le Petit Ecolier (The Little Schoolgirl) Le Petit Berger (The Little Shepherd) La Petite Vandangeuse (The Little Grape Picker) La Petite Laitiere (The Little Milk Maid) La Petite Marchande De Fleurs (The Little Flower Seller) Les Petits Fagots (The Little Firewood Gatherer) Gumichian. Les Livres de L'Enfance du XV au XIX Siècle. #916 and color frontispiece (showing four of the eight color plates). .

David Brass Rare Books (ABAA/ILAB)Professional seller

Book number: 03972

Catalogue: Children's Books

Keywords: Color-Plate Books Books in French Costume

BROWNE, Hablot K.; "PHIZ

Illustrations of the Five Senses

London: Grant & Griffith, 1852. The Five Senses as Depicted by "Phiz" BROWNE, Hablot K. Illustrations of the Five Senses. By H.K. Browne. "Phiz". London: Grant & Griffith, 1852. First edition. Oblong quarto (9 5/8 x 13 1/2 inches; 245 x 343 mm.). Five hand colored etched plates, all interleaved. First plate with tiny piece (1/24 x 3/8 inch) missing from lower blank corner and fifth plate with tiny piece (1/2 x 3/8 inch) missing from lower blank corner. Publisher's buff printed wrappers with "Price 5s. Plain" and "7. 6d. Colored", expertly rebacked. Chemised in a brown cloth wrapper housed in a quarter tan morocco over blue cloth clamshell case, smooth spine with tan and black morocco labels lettered in gilt. A near fine example. The plates depict comical urchins demonstrating the five senses, including the rare "Seeing" plate which depicts two young boys peering into a box-shaped peep-show at a fairground. Note: Our copy has "Price 5s. Plain" and "7. 6d. Colored". "While illustrations to Dickens are the principal work by 'Phiz', there also exists a considerable number of his coloured illustrations for books- "Illustrations of the Five Senses in 1852 was issued at 3s. 6d. plain, 5s. 6d. coloured, the five plates being etchings with a machine-ruled ground." (Hardie, p. 219). Renowned for his illustrations for novels by Charles Dickens, Hablot Knight Browne [pseud. Phiz] (1815–1882) "remained prodigiously productive throughout the 1840s and 1850s, his greatest decades..His output was enormous - about 3660 images over his lifetime - and Phiz became a household familiar..From 1859 to 1867 he issued around 440 more images, but changes in the visual tastes of readers, in reproductive techniques for book illustration, and in the kind of books publishers issued (more cheap, un-illustrated fiction) all worked against Browne's talent..He also indulged his love for drawing horses in sporting journals such as the New Sporting Magazine, the Great Gun, and the Sporting Times.. Browne's brilliance as an illustrator did not satisfy him. He never shed the idea that he was first and foremost a fine artist" (Oxford Online DNB). The plates: 1. Tasting. "Crummy - rather - Oh my!" 2. Seeing. "Now then Gents, open yr eyes -- blow yr precious noses, and don't breathe on the glasses! 3. Feeling. "A nice young man: with expectations." 4. Smelling. "A Pair of Snuffers." 5. Hearing. "The Crow doth sing as sweetly as the Lark, when neither is attended:" Martin Hardie, p. 219; Not in Bobins or Tooley. .

David Brass Rare Books (ABAA/ILAB)Professional seller

Book number: 06051

Catalogue: Children's Books

Keywords: PHIZ Color-Plate Books Caricatures English Caricature

COLLODI, C[arlo Lorenzini]; MAZZANTI, Enrico; MURRAY, Mary Alice, translator

Story of a Puppet or the Adventures of Pinocchio, the

London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1892. First English Edition of a Landmark Work in Children's Literature COLLODI, C[arlo Lorenzini]. MAZZANTI, C. illustrator. The Story of a Puppet or the Adventures of Pinocchio by C. Collodi. Translated from the Italian by M.A. Murray. Illustrated by C. Mazzanti. London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1892. First Edition. Small octavo (6 1/4 x 3 15/16 inches; 160 x 100 mm.). [2, blank], [6], [1]-232 pp. Half-title and title pages printed in red and black. Illustrated throughout by Enrico Mazzanti (mis-spelt as C. Mazzantini on title-page)with black and white line illustrations and silhouette drawings. Some very light foxing affecting just the first blank leaf, half-title and the last leaf. Publisher's off-white cloth delicately stamped in blue in a decorative floral and leaf pattern, with matching endpapers and edges. Contemporary pencil inscription on front blank leaf dated "Christmas 1892". Tiny (3/16 inch) brown stain on front cover and small circular half-inch diameter brown stain on rear cover, binding very slightly cocked, still an outstanding example in completely original condition of a famously delicate production. Published as part of the publisher’s The Children's Library series, this is the first English edition of a landmark work in children's literature. Translated from the Italian by Mary Alice Murray, it is described as "one of the best-known fantasies and the most popular children's book to emerge from Italy." Originally serialized in the Giornale dei bambini, a Rome-based children's magazine, the story debuted on 7 July 1881. It was later published as a book in 1883 under the title Le Avventure di Pinocchio: Storia di un burattino (The Adventures of Pinocchio: The Story of a Puppet), swiftly becoming a bestseller. While Lorenzini’s publisher is said to have profited greatly, the author himself passed away before witnessing its international acclaim. "Almost nothing else in children's literature equals Pinocchio for wildness of invention" (Carpenter, Humphrey; Prichard, Mary: The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature). Carlo Lorenzini, better known by his pen name Carlo Collodi (1826-1890) born in Tuscany, was a children's writer who wrote the world-renowned fairy tale The Adventures of Pinocchio. Lovingly crafted by a woodcarver named Gepetto in a small Italian village near Florence, Pinocchio was created as a wooden puppet - but he dreamed of becoming a real boy. The name Pinoccio has also been used as a character who is prone to telling lies and fabricating stories for various reasons. The story has appeared in many adaptations in other media. Pinocchio has been called an icon of modern culture and one of the most re-imagined characters in the pantheon of children's literature. Grolier, 100 Children's Books, #46; Hürlimann, p.77; Osborne Collection II, p. 1007 (under Lorenzini). .

David Brass Rare Books (ABAA/ILAB)Professional seller

Book number: 06184

Catalogue: Children's Books

Keywords: MAZZANTI, Enrico MURRAY, Mary Alice, translator Illustrated Books Books into Film Translations into English

CRANE, Walter, illustrator

Triplets: Comprising the Baby's Opera, the Baby's Bouquet, and the Baby's Own ÆSop

London: George Routledge & Sons Limited, 1899. Walter Crane's "Triplets" Deluxe Edition One of Twenty Special Copies Printed on Japanese Vellum CRANE, Walter, [illustrator]. Triplets: Comprising The Baby's Opera, The Baby's Bouquet, and The Baby's Own Æsop. With the Original Designs in Colour by Walter Crane; Printed by Edmund Evans. London: George Routledge & Sons Limited, 1899. First Collected Special Edition printed on Japanese Vellum Limited to 20 copies (this being no. 11). Large oblong quarto (11 9/16 x 12 3/8 inches; 294 x 314 mm.). 192 pp. with illustrations by Crane printed in color by Edmund Evans on every page. The first two titles with printed music. Publisher's brown buckram over boards, marbled end-papers, top edge gilt, others uncut. New red morocco spine label lettered in gilt. Spine ends expertly strengthened, minimal soiling to buckram. Housed in a full tan buckram, felt-lined clamshell case (by Sangorski & Sutcliffe) with a red leather spine label lettered in gilt. Overall, a very good and clean copy of this title in the publisher's binding. Illustrated with dozens of exquisite color illustrations by Walter Crane representing the three works originally published in 1877-1887. A new preface was written by Crane for this edition and new illustrations on the preface and title pages. Walter Crane's color illustrations for these three children's stories, many full-page, with decorative borders and vignettes throughout. Considered to contain some of the best illustrations ever rendered by Walter Crane on Japanese Vellum, thus increasing the clarity and improving the color tone. "Walter Crane (1845-1915) was an English artist and illustrator. He is primarily known for his illustrations of the Faerie Queen as well as numerous children's books, however he also worked on designs for political pamphlets and even wallpaper, ceramic tiles and other decorative art. During the 1800s Walter Crane was considered Britain's greatest socialist artist, and he was asked to illustrate many socialist publications. However his best work was non-political in nature. He earned a good living doing book illustrations, and he was especially in demand as an illustrator of children's books such as nursery rhymes, fables and alphabet books. His drawings often featured child in the garden motifs, and were extremely influential in shaping the direction of children's illustrated literature, along with his collaborator, the printer Edmund Evans. Despite his versatility as an artist and the wide range of his subject matter, Crane was always best known as a children's book illustrator. His contemporaries included fellow illustrators Kate Greenaway and Randolph Caldecott. .

David Brass Rare Books (ABAA/ILAB)Professional seller

Book number: 04350

Catalogue: Children's Books

Keywords: Illustrated Books Books on Vellum Classical Literature Music

CRUIKSHANK, George; ZAEHNSDORF, binder

George Cruikshank's Fairy Library. Cinderella and the Glass Slipper. Edited and Illustrated with Ten Subjects, Designed and Etched on Steel, by George Cruikshank

London: D. Bogue [&] George Routledge and Sons, 1854. Cinderella and Jack & The Bean-Stalk Illustrated by George Cruikshank Handsomely bound by Zaehnsdorf CRUIKSHANK, George. George Cruikshank's Fairy Library. Cinderella and the Glass Slipper. Edited and illustrated with ten subjects, designed and etched on steel, by George Cruikshank. London: David Bogue, [1854]. & George Cruikshank's Fairy Library. The History of Jack & the Bean-Stalk. Edited and illustrated with six etchings by George Cruikshank. London: George Routledge and Sons, [ca 1870]. First edition of Cinderella and the Glass Slipper; Later edition of The History of Jack and the Bean-Stalk. Small quarto (6 5/8 x 5 inches; 170 x 127 mm.). [1-5], 6-31, [1, blank]; [1-5], 6-32. Twelve etched plates with eighteen humorous scenes. Bound by Zaehnsdorf ca. 1900 in full dark blue calf. Covers with triple-gilt borders and circular corner-pieces, spine with five raised bands, decoratively tooled in gilt in compartments, three red morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, gilt-ruled board edges, decorative gilt turn-ins, marbled end-papers, all edges gilt. Original front and rear green printed paper covers. Armorial bookplate of the celebrated Cruikshank collector, the Earl of Mexborough on front paste-down. A fine example. George Cruikshank (1792-1878) was a popular English caricaturist who later became notable for his book illustrations. Some of his illustrated works include Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist (1838) and the first English translation of the Brothers Grimm’s Fairy Tales. Displaying remarkable craftsmanship and skill as an etcher, Cruikshank became a household name due to his humorous portrayals of the royal family, the church, the government, the humors of the low people, and the foibles of the great. This notoriety led to a successful period of book illustration. "In the 1840s Cruikshank become an avid teetotaler and advocated for the Temperance Movement. This interest impacted his work and inspired him to write his own fireside tails detailing the perils of drinking. In 1854 Cruikshank produced a work called The Fairy Library in which he altered popular fairy tales to offer temperance lessons. Although the book did not sell well, the effort by the artist to provide lessons to his readers is not without precedent. Many tales have sought to teach amiable qualities and warn against unpleasant traits. Today his etchings continue to be placed among the work of the masters such as Ruskin." (Howard Tilton memorial Library). The library of the Earl of Mexborough was sold by Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge in February 1917 "Including a long series of works illustrated by the Cruikshanks.

David Brass Rare Books (ABAA/ILAB)Professional seller

Book number: 05508

Catalogue: Children's Books

Keywords: ZAEHNSDORF, binder Illustrated Books European Literature Fine Bindings Caricatures

MOVABLE BOOK; DELCOURT, Pierre

Les Amis de Polichinelle

Paris: A. Capendu, Editeur, 1890. Les Amis de Polichinelle [MOVABLE BOOK]. Les Amis de Polichinelle par Pierre Delcourt. Paris: A. Capendu, Editeur, [ca. 1890]. Small quarto (8 1/2 x 6 3/8 inches; 216 x 162 mm.). [10] pp. Lithograph title-page and four full-page colored lever-operated moveable plates, each with leaf of text opposite. Publisher's black cloth over color pictorial boards. On the first movable plate Polichinelle is missing the bell that he was holding in his right hand (see cover illustration) and on the second movable plate Madam is missing the fan held in her right hand (as per the text). Otherwise an excellent example in near fine condition. This delightful movable has four wonderfully vivid colored movable plates portraying Monsieur & Madame Polichinelle, Jocrisse & Cassandre. “Polichinelle is the Punch of the old French puppet-shows, and his secrets are stage whispers told to all the audience” (Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable). Very scarce. OCLC locates just one copy in libraries and institutions worldwide: University of Virginia (VA,US). Pierre Delcourt also wrote Le Grand Guignol which was also published by A. Capendu around the same time. .

David Brass Rare Books (ABAA/ILAB)Professional seller

Book number: 05545

Catalogue: Children's Books

Keywords: DELCOURT, Pierre Books in French Color Printing Movable Books

[PAPER DOLL]

La Coquette

Paris: H. Rousseau, [1856]. An Elegant 19th Century Paper Doll With Multiple Gowns [PAPER DOLLS]. La Coquette. Paris: H. Rousseau, n.d. [1856]. Hand-colored, double-sided lithographed French paper doll with twelve hand-colored lithographed gowns with matching hats including a magnificent wedding ensemble. Lithography by H. Jannin. Housed in a remarkable facsimile of the original presentation box, with the original colored lithographed title laid-on. Complete with a later slotted wooden disc to display the doll in its finery. An item of great scarcity, an ephemeral work not meant to last but of lasting charm. We have been able to locate only one other recorded example, which came to auction at Theriaults Antique Doll Auctions, November 12, 2006, and sold for €1,900 ($2,590). .

David Brass Rare Books (ABAA/ILAB)Professional seller

Book number: 02698

Catalogue: Children's Books

Keywords: Color-Plate Books Costume Games Nineteenth-Century Literature

[PAPER DOLLS]; Librarie Enfantine Illustrée

La Maison Des Poupées

Paris: A. Capendu Successeur, ca 1880. Exceptionally Rare 'Paper Doll' Book with 'cut-out' Dolls, Dresses and Various Accoutrements [PAPER DOLLS]. Librarie Enfantine Illustrée. La Maison des Poupées. Paris: Guérin-Muller & Cie. Editeurs, A. Capendu Successeur, ca. 1880. Square quarto (11 1/8 x 9 inches; 282 x 229 mm.). [2, title, verso blank], [4, text], four colored plates, all interleaved,depicting various rooms in the house, all with slots in which to place a selection of the four dolls with their fourteen dress wardrobe and eighteen objects, all in their three original wood textured envelopes. The four colored scenes all have slots within which to place the dolls, their dresses and various objects to complement the final picture. Publisher's dark blue cloth over pale blue boards, the front cover with a large pasted-on illustration in full color depicting a cottage with three dogs on the foreground, titled "La Maison des Poupées" and the publisher "G.M. et Cie A Capendu, successeur-" Explication [page 3] translation "First of all, start by cutting the leaves where the furniture is drawn and painted; Each item must be carefully cut with scissors. So, we glue the furniture with liquid glue in their respective places as follows-" The four scenes: 1. Salle à manger 2. Salon 3. Chambre à coucher 4. Cuisine The contents of the three envelopes: 1. 4 colored dolls 2. 14 colored dresses 3. 18 various accoutrements including a bouquet of flowers; a milk jug; a kettle; a tea service; a mixing bowl; a barrel; a mug, a looking glass; a cooked turkey; five bread rolls on a plate etc. etc. A remarkable survivor, the book and the three envelopes, one with the four dolls, one with the fourteen colored dresses and the third with the eighteen various objects all in very near fine condition. French movable book publisher Guérin-Müller pre-dated Capendu and was in business from 1850 to 1880. A. Capendu published many children's books including Cendrillon; Le Chat Botté; Le Petit Poucet and Contes de Fées. Exceptionally Rare with no copies located by OCLC - nine other titles in the series are listed; KVK locates just one example listed by Cooperative Library Network Berlin Brandenburg. Not in Cotsen. Children's Library; Gumuchian. Les Livres de d'Enfance or The Osborne Collection of Children's Books. .

David Brass Rare Books (ABAA/ILAB)Professional seller

Book number: 05700

Catalogue: Children's Books

Keywords: Librarie Enfantine Illustrée Illustrated Books Books in French

DULAC, Edmund, illustrator

Edmund Dulac’S Fairy-Book

London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1916. A Very Fine Example of The Edition de Luxe [DULAC, Edmund, illustrator]. Edmund Dulac’s Fairy-Book. Fairy Tales of the Allied Nations. London: Hodder & Stoughton, [n.d. 1916]. Limited to 350 numbered copies (of which this is no. 88), signed by the artist. Large quarto (11 1/4 x 8 7/8 inches; 285 x 225 mm.). [11], [1, blank], 169, [1], [1, blank], [1, printer’s imprint] pp. Fifteen color plates, mounted on Japanese vellum, framed with wide gilt bands and with descriptive letterpress in black. Original white cloth pictorially stamped in gilt and blue to form a design of two leaping horses and scroll frame for gilt lettering (reproducing the design on the title-page) on front cover and spine. Top edge gilt, others uncut. Minimal browning to endpapers. An exceptionally fine copy. “The tales of this book, both written and illustrated by Dulac, were drawn from the folklore of Russia, England, Flanders, Belgium, Italy, France, Ireland, Serbia and Japan. Dulac was able to employ the full scope of his versatility in creating a national mood in each illustration. During this period of his work, Dulac had immersed himself in the artistic traditions of folklore. He was partly stimulated by his friendship with Yeats (whose interest in Celtic folklore was legendary) and partly awakened to ethnic themes by his 1913 cruise through the eastern Mediterranean. Also at this time he was influenced by his encounters with the Russian-born designer Léon Bakst and Bakst’s stage work for Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes” (Hughey). Hughey 47. .

David Brass Rare Books (ABAA/ILAB)Professional seller

Book number: 06032

Catalogue: Children's Books

Keywords: Illustrated Books Fairy Tales Signed Limited Edition

DULAC, Edmund, Illustrator; SCHAUWERS, Franz, binder

Princesse Badourah, la

Paris: L'Édition D'Art H. Piazza, 1914. Limited to 500 Signed Copies This Copy in a Beautiful Contemporary Binding by Franz Schauwers With Decorations Not Found in the English Language Edition DULAC, Edmund. La Princesse Badourah. Conte des Mille et une Nuits. Illustré par Edmond Dulac. Paris: L'Édition D'Art H. Piazza, n.d. [1914]. First edition in French, limited to 500 numbered copies signed by the artist, this being copy no. 347. Quarto (11 1/2 x 8 3/4 in; 294 x 221 mm). Ten mounted color plates within decorative borders. Bound ca. 1914 by Franz [Schauwers] (stamp-signed) in three-quarter purple crushed levant morocco with gilt rules over marbled paper boards. Smooth spine lettered and richly decorated in gilt with nine red morocco floral onlays. Top edge gilt, others uncut. Matching marbled endpapers. Original wrappers preserved. A very fine copy in a very attractive binding. With decorations not found in the English language editions, including nine designs of a different small tree in an urn on pages preceding each chapter; decorated initials at start of each chapter; seven tailpieces; two surrounds for for letterpress on limitation and colophon. Hughey 31c. .

David Brass Rare Books (ABAA/ILAB)Professional seller

Book number: 02891

Catalogue: Children's Books

Keywords: SCHAUWERS, Franz, binder Illustrated Books Fine Bindings Books in French Fairy Tales

DULAC, Edmund, illustrator; KHAYYAM, Omar; FITZGERALD, Edward

Quartine, le

Bergamo: Istituto Italiano D'Arti Grafiche, 1913. A Scarce Italian Edition [DULAC, Edmund, illustrator]. KHAYYÁM, Omar. Le Quartine. Riduzione Ritmica di Diego Angeli dalla Traduzione in Inglese di Edward Fitzgerald. Illustrazioni di Edmondo Dulac. Bergamo: Istituto Italiano D'Arti Grafiche, n.d. [c. 1913]. First reprint of trade edition in Italian of Dulac's Rubaiyat. Quarto (10 7/8 x 8 1/4 in; 277 x 208 mm). Unpaginated. Seventeen color plates tipped-in to cream vellum-like paper, framed with gilt over light green design, with captioned tissue guards. Publisher's original dark green cloth with elaborate decorative peacock frame in gilt, a variant not noted by Hughey who records only a red binding to this issue. Neat ink ownership note to half-title. A fine copy. "A reprint edition (#21jj) was exactly like #21ii except that only 17 plates were included and it was issued in a dark red cloth binding." "In point of excellence of art, popularity, distinction and profit the crowning achievement.. was the publication of the Fitzgerald version of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam illustrated by Edmund Dulac. The book was a joy and treasure. Its public acceptance was immediate and great' (George H. Doran, American publisher). Hughey 21jj. .

David Brass Rare Books (ABAA/ILAB)Professional seller

Book number: 02221

Catalogue: Children's Books

Keywords: KHAYYAM, Omar FITZGERALD, Edward Illustrated Books Books in Italian Fantasy Literature Persian Literature