SLOVENLY PETER, OR, CHEERFUL STORIES AND FUNNY PICTURES FOR GOOD LITTLE FOLKS. By Dr. Heinrich Hoffmann. Philadelphia: John C. Winston Co., [1904-1920?].
Wood engravings, hand colored. The John C. Winston Co. first began publishing children's books after buying out the stock of H. T. Coates and Co. in 1904. Coates published an edition of this text between 1895 and 1904 that is exactly the same. It is likely that the binding, in the Eastlake style, is left over from an earlier Coates edition.

Bizarre stories of boys who get their thumbs cut off because they sucked them, of "Romping Polly" who breaks her leg, "Cruel Paul" who abuses animals and is killed by them and "Idle Fritz" whose parents drive him out of the house and he is eaten by a wolf in the forest. Shown here is "The Dreadful Story of Pauline and the Matches" who ends up as ashes.

These graphic cautionary tales have been frightening adults and (to a lesser degree) children since 1845 when first published in Germany under the title, LUSTIGE GESCHICHTEN UND DROLLIGE BILDER, a book of only 15 pages. It was reissued as STRUWWELPETER (Shock-Headed Peter, or Slovenly Peter) in 1847 with added stories and pictures. In 1848 it was translated into English as THE ENGLISH STRUWWELPETER OR PRETTY STORIES AND FUNNY PICTURES FOR LITTLE CHILDREN. The priority of the hundreds of editions is often determined by the slovenliness of Peter's features, particularly his hair. The 1845 first printing was done in color lithographs. It is described as "one of the earliest and most successful author-artist picture-books for the very young." Dr. Heinrich Hoffman was the manager of a "progressive" mental hospital and supposedly his book was intended to be therapeutic, written for his three-year-old son. Millions of copies have sold and it is still in print today. Exhibit checklist 19.3 (View this item)

"Carry and the Candle", single page from an unidentified book
Woodcut illustrations, hand colored. Another child goes up in flames. Exhibit checklist 19.4 (View this item)

THE TINY PICTURE BOOK. Charlestown, MA: G.W. Hobbs, (1854-1865?).
Inner text and cover title match. Woodcut illustrations, hand colored. Inscription on front pastedown reads "Sarah Ellie Knowles, Book bought 1865." Exhibit checklist 19.5 (View this item)

THE TINY PICTURE BOOK [COVER TITLE] BUT CONTAINS THE LITTLE REWARD & THE LITTLE PRESENT. Charlestown, MA: G.W. Hobbs, (1854-1865?).
Woodcut illustrations, hand colored. THE LITTLE REWARD and THE TINY PICTURE BOOK have the same title page and frontispiece image and the text is exactly the same for letters "A" - "L". This copy stops at "L" and THE LITTLE PRESENT text begins. Exhibit checklist 19.6 (View this item)

THE SPOILED CHILD. A GENUINE NARRATIVE OF FACTS. By W. C. Brownlee. New York: American Tract Society, [1844-1846?]. Printed by D. Fanshaw.
Chapbook with woodcut cover illustration, uncolored. In this story the spoiled child disgraces his parents, grows up to be a drunkard and a wastrel and dies a miserable death after torturing his wife and several children. Exhibit checklist 19.7 (View this item)

THE CHILDREN'S COMPANION. By M. (Arnaud) Berquin. Philadelphia: J. Crissy, 1840.
Wood engraved illustrations, uncolored. A mix of lessons on behavior and science. Little Adrian learns about the clouds, the growth of plants and how paper is made. Exhibit checklist 19.10 (View this item)

JUVENILE POEMS, OR, THE ALPHABET IN VERSE. Albany, N.Y.: E. & E. Hosford, 1818.
Chapbook with woodcut illustrations, uncolored. The page illustrating "H" is for hourglass with an appropriate poem to bid children "for death prepare." Exhibit checklist 19.13 (View this item)

PETER PALETTE'S TALES AND PICTURES; IN SHORT WORDS, FOR YOUNG FOLKS. London: Dean & Son, n.d. [ca. 1850s].
Woodcut illustrations, hand colored. Naught Tom plays next to the river, falls in and is rescued by his dog Tray. "It is al-ways best to be o-be-di-ent, for self-wil-led and ob-sti-nate children are sure to suf-fer for their fol-ly." Exhibit checklist 19.14 (View this item)

THE SAD HISTORY OF GREEDY JEM, AND ALL HIS LITTLE BROTHERS. NARRATED, INVENTED AND DRAWN ON THE WOOD By Charles H. Bennett. Printed from blocks by Edmund Evans. London: George Routledge & Co., [1857-58].
Wood engravings, color printed. From the series of One Shilling Toy Books. Bennett enjoyed rare identification as the artist of a toybook, largely because he worked his name into the cover illustration. This book is filled with cautionary tales told with rare hilarity.

This was the first title in Routledge's One Shilling Toy Books (28 titles in all between 1857 and 1865). Edmund Evans was born in 1826 and apprenticed to Ebenezer Landells, a wood engraver in black and white. He established his own firm at Racquet Court in 1851 and began a relationship with Routledge in 1854, producing color covers for Aunt Mavor's Little Library. Evans is best known for having printed the illustrations of Walter Crane, Randolph Caldecott and Kate Greenaway beginning in 1865 and developing color-printed toybooks cover to cover.

For Greedy Jem, Evans used four colors: yellow-ochre, sombre red, greyish blue and black. The result was less than successful; the yellow and blue did not make a satisfactory green, the sky and river are not blue. Hereafter Bennett's books were reproduced in black and white with hand-coloring and there were no more collaborations between Evans and Bennett.

This title was issued twice, once as described above, then in 1866 with printing by Vincent Brooks in brighter colors and as part of Aunt Mavor's Toy Books. Which do you have? Exhibit checklist L.115 (View this item)

THE NURSERY PLAY BOOK. New York: McLoughlin Bros., (1870-1879?).
Relief illustrations, color printed. In the series: Uncle Ned's Picture Books. Shown is "Table Rules for Little Folks" which uses the famous lines, "I must not speak a useless word, For children must be seen,--not heard." Exhibit checklist L.116 (View this item)

PARLEY'S PICTURE BOOK. By Samuel Goodrich. New York: Gates and Stedman, 1847.
Woodcut illustrations, uncolored. Publisher's decorated cloth binding stamped with "A Gift for A Good Child." Exhibit checklist L.118 (View this item)

DER STRUWWELPETER. Frankfurt am Main: Rutten & Loning, ca. 1871.
Relief illustrations, color printed. Exhibit checklist L.119 (View this item)

AN ALPHABET IN PICTURES [Title provided by binder]. Lacks title page. Rebound in the 20th Century. Front free endpaper inscribed 1856.
Lithographic illustrations, hand colored. The page for "Q" is for quarrel showing two small boys in an argument. Exhibit checklist L.122 (View this item)

GOOP TALES. By Gelett Burgess. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1904.
Relief illustrations, uncolored. The stories are tedious but the alphabetically listed boy and girl goops and the verses describing them are delightful and memorable, still popular after a hundred years. Exhibit checklist L.124 (View this item)

LOOKING-GLASS FOR THE MIND; OR INTELLECTUAL MIRROR. by Arnaud Berquin, illustrated by [John] Bewick. London: Printed by J. Crowder for E. Newbery, 1792.
Wood engraved illustrations, uncolored. The first edition of this title appeared in 1787 and was enormously successful with the seventeenth edition appearing in 1827. Because of the impossibility of enforcing copyright laws abroad, many pirated editions appeared in America where Bewick's illustrations were copied by Alexander Anderson. Includes a page on "Antony and Augustus; or a Rational Education is Preferable to Riches." Exhibit checklist L.125 (View this item)

DIVINE SONGS. By Isaac Watts. London: Howard and Evans, 1806. Date determined by watermark.
Woodcut cover illustration, uncolored. Known as "the little hymn-book," this popular religious work was first published in 1715. The American collector, Wilbur Macey Stone, published an essay on it and created a check-list of over 300 editions published in England and America between 1715 and 1900 including 95 editions published by N. Coverly in Boston. The British Library's holdings were 87 copies as of 1918 when Mr. Stone wrote his book. It is Dr. Watts who wrote "How doth the little busy bee improve each shining hour." Exhibit checklist L.129 (View this item)

DUTY. Part II. [Philadelphia, PA]: Jacob Johnson [ca 1790- 1810].
Chapbook with woodcut Illustrations, uncolored. Poem IX is unusual in that the text is not letterpress printed but is, instead, an engraving. Exhibit checklist L.131 (View this item)

THE CHILD'S PRIMER, OR, FIRST BOOK FOR CHILDREN. York: James Kendrew, 1840.
Chapbook with woodcut illustrations, uncolored. Includes a section about a child being beaten for telling a lie. Exhibit checklist L.132 (View this item)

THE HISTORY OF LITTLE KING PIPPIN. WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE MELANCHOLY DEATH OF FOUR NAUGHTY BOYS, WHO WERE DEVOURED BY WILD BEASTS. Wellington [England]: Printed for Houlston and Son, n. d. [1820-1840].
Chapbook with woodcut illustrations, uncolored. Part of the series: TWELVE CHAPBOOKS. George Graceless, Neddy Neverpray and two other boys "as naughty as themselves" cut school and are promptly eaten by "two monstrous lions" while King Pippin leads the good boys, Billy Meanwell, Tommy Telltruth, Bobby Bright and Sammy Sober on a adventure. Open to the "English lions." Exhibit checklist 19.1 (View this item)

WILLIAM AND GEORGE. THE RICH BOY AND THE POOR BOY; OR, A CONTENTED MIND IS THE BEST FEAST. London: Printed for Houlston and Son, n. d. [1820-1840].
Chapbook with woodcut illustrations, uncolored. Part of the series: TWELVE CHAPBOOKS. Frontispiece and title page shown. Exhibit checklist L.117 (View this item)

THE LIFE OF MASTER WATTY & MISS JESSY SUPINE; OR, THE EVILS OF A BAD EDUCATION. Wellington [England]: Printed for Houlston and Son, n. d. [1820-1840].
Chapbook with woodcut illustrations, uncolored. Part of the series: TWELVE CHAPBOOKS. Exhibit checklist L.126 (View this item)

YOUNG OLIVER: OR THE THOUGHTLESS BOY. A TALE. Wellington [England]: Printed by Houlston and Son, n. d. [1820-1840].
Chapbook with woodcut illustrations, uncolored. Part of the series: TWELVE CHAPBOOKS. Exhibit checklist L.133 (View this item)