Nursery Souvenir [INCLUDING] Mother Goose's Melodies. The Only Pure Edition/ Marmaduke Multiply/ Rhymes for the Nursery/ A New Hieroglyphic Bible/ Picture Riddler [5 ILLUSTRATED CHILDREN'S BOOKS BOUND IN ONE] [BINDING COPY]
Boston: Munroe and Francis/ Munroe & Francis/ Joseph H. Francis, [ca. 1851]. Hardcover. Square 16mo. Period cloth spine with gilt lettering and tooling. This collection from prolific Boston publisher Munroe and Francis, consists of five of their previously published children's literary and educational works, bound together in an extremely scarce single volume. Includes a newly issued engraved frontispiece and new illustrated title for this single volume, retaining its original tissue guard. Each of these works is individually paginated and is profusely illustrated with countless woodcut engravings throughout. Although many of the works do not mention publication dates, it can be assumed from a number of historical and bibliographic points, our editions of these works were likely initially individually printed between 1842 and 1851.
Content:
Mother Goose's Melodies. The Only Pure Edition.
[4] 5-96pp. A later edition (possibly third), of the Francis & Munroe version, originally published in 1833. A delightful early American version of this classic collection of nursery rhymes. Illustrated throughout with woodcut engravings from numerous artists, including many of the most prominent Boston engravers of the period such as Alexander Anderson ("A.A", 1775-1870), Abel Bowen, ("A.B", 1790-1850) and many of his students and collaborators, such as Nathaniel Dearborn ("N.D.", 1786–1852), Alonzo Hartwell ("H", 1805-1873) and brothers Shubael D. and Benjamin F. Childs ("Childs"). Printed text includes "Boston town" (p.54) and "Norridge" (p.9), both indicators of this as a later printing, likely circa 1845. Publisher's advertisement for the 'Chimes, Rhymes, and Jingles'* a follow-up collection of addition Mother Goose works, on the final page.
Marmaduke Multiply.
[2] 3-71pp. This educational work is a modified and Americanized version of the popular rhyming arithmetic reader, first issued in London, 1816-1817, as "Marmaduke Multiply's Merry Method of Making Minor Mathermaticians". The woodcut are illustrated throughout in a similar style, likely all by by Alonzo Hartwell ("H"), as his signature can be seen on at least one image (p.42). This known variant edition contains the curious rhyme on p.70 ("Here you may see a peddling Jew"), indicating a later printing date, circa 1845. No date is printed.
Rhymes for the Nursery
[2] 3-112pp. A scarcer collection of slightly longer nursery rhymes. Includes engravings from Alexander Anderson ("A.A", 1775-1870), Abel Bowen, ("A.B", 1790-1850) and Alonzo Hartwell ("H", 1805-1873) as well as possibly others. Much of the content of this work was taken from the previous collection of children's verse 'Rhymes for the Nursery' (originally published in 1806) by English poets and sisters Ann Gilbert (nee Taylor 1782-1866) and Jane Taylor (1783- 1824). A copyright date of 1837 is printed on the verso of the title page.
A New Hieroglyphic Bible
[3] 6-106pp. [1]. An interesting illustrated collection of selected bible verses for children, from both the Old and New testaments. The work is done in a unique manner using a total of 400 small woodcut-illustrated images in place of certain key words from the passages, to help children memorize bible verses. The corresponding full verses are completely explicated in prose at the bottom of every page. All pages contain intricately designed decorative woodcut borders. Includes engraved half-title and title pages. This edition seems to have been originally derived from the noted Arliss edition of the Hieroglyphic Bible (London, 1815). The images here are same as the Arliss edition (including Moses and Aaron on the title page), however they seem to been printed in reverse, with the text of the pages reformatted slightly. No engraver's signatures can be seen on any of the images, and their identities are not known. No publication date is listed for this work but based on the specifics of publication text from the title page, and the mention of Parley's Magazine (published 1835-1844), it can be inferred that this edition was likely issued sometime between 1842-1844. It should be noted that this edition is not mentioned in W.A. Clouston's 1894 bibliography of Hieroglyphic Bibles.
Picture Riddler
[2] 5-120pp. A scarce collection of 482 illustrated riddles, puzzles and cyphers. The final pages contain a complete list of questions and answers for the riddles in numerical order. The woodcut-engraved images and decorative initials throughout can be attributed to Abel Bowen (i.e. "B" on p.6, and "A.B." on p.60) and possibly others. Copyright on the verso of the title page lists a date of 1845.
This volume is a binding copy with front and back boards missing. Retaining its original period cloth spine. The book block itself is quite tight, with occasional light to moderate foxing and water stains throughout. Text and images overall quite clean and vibrant throughout. Binding in poor, interior in good to very good- condition overall. poor to vg-. Item #51872
Bibliographic Sources:
- The 1851 edition of Munroe & Francis' "Boy's Own Book", contains 4 pages of publisher's ads at the rear. The first book listed on the first of these pages is 'Nursery Souvenir'. This is the earliest reference we can find to this bound collection, and no previous edition from the publisher mention it. This extremely scarce bound volume is completely unrecorded in OCLC, with no other mention of the work anywhere, save for the previously mentioned reference.
- Clouston, W.A. Hieroglyphic Bibles,Their Origin and History. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company, [1894].
* 'Chimes, Rhymes, and Jingles', the work mentioned in the publisher's ad at the end of Mother Goose's Melodies, is known to have first been published by them in 1845.
Price: $4,500.00