Creighton University

This booklet, one of two out of a series of four purchased together, is a fascinating remake (or predecessor?) of a similar book by Marcus Ward already in our collection.  Both are paperbound landscape books 11.25” x 7.4”.  They cover the same six fables.  Their order here is “BF”; “Basket of Eggs”; DS; WSC; 2P; and “Eagle and Jackdaw.”  The full-page colored pictures are identical.  The two books are so identical that their back covers present the same set of advertisements, with this set in the same place but with the change of one line.  I see that change as one of four differences between the booklets.  Instead of “With New Version of the Fables, in Rhyme, by J. Hain Friswell” we read now “Told in Simple Language, for Young Children.”  We have switched from authored verse to anonymous prose.  Secondly, the formatting is different.  A page of verse was followed by two image pages, then two verse pages, and then two image pages, and so on.  There were no blanks.  Now the prose story and its illustration face each other.  The illustrations are done on heavier stock and have blank backs.  Perhaps to save paper, the text pages are now printed on two sides.  Thus the relative juxtaposition of text and image changes back and forth from one fable to the next.  Thirdly, the cover had featured orange, brown and green.  Aesop sat back pointing to one of several fable medallions.  Now he sits with head in hand, surrounded by animals.  The medallions are in the four corners.  Finally, the order of presentation is different from the present order given above.  That earlier order in the Friswell edition was WSC; DS; “Conceited Crow”; 2P; BF; and “Basket of Eggs.”  I have changed the date to agree with Rooke Books’ guess of 1874 based on a copy in the University of Cambridge Libraries.  I wrote in cataloguing that booklet that I needed to find the other three in the series.  Instead I found a whole new parallel series!  The colors here are strong and flat; the figures lack depth.  Perhaps the best of the illustrations is DS.  Not in Bodemann.

This booklet, one of two purchased together out of a series of four, is a paperbound landscape book 11.25” x 7.4”.  It covers some six fables, each with a full-page colored illustration.  Their order here is DM; LM; “Countryman and Snake”; SW; FS; and “Trumpeter.”  Among the best illustrations are “Countryman and Snake” and SW.  As in our other copy in this series, the texts are anonymous prose.  The prose story and its illustration face each other.  The illustrations are done on heavier stock and have blank backs.  Perhaps to save paper, the text pages are printed on two sides.  Thus the relative juxtaposition of text and image changes back and forth from one fable to the next.  It is curious that Rooke Books estimates a date of 1880 for this copy, based on a copy held at Durham University Library and Collections.  Their estimate for the other member of this collection was 1874.  Not in Bodemann.

This pamphlet is like a segment of Marcus Ward’s publication ”The Children's Fable Picture Book Containing Twenty-four Pictures, in Colours of Animals and Their Masters with the Fables from Aesop  (Cover: The Children's Picture Book of Fables from Aesop)”.  It covers six of the twenty-four fables there and does so as that book does.  Both are in portrait format for the text pages, with the landscape illustrations on the verso of each text page.  It works out that two text pages face each other and then two image pages do.  It feels a bit strange to keep turning the pamphlet 90 degrees to enjoy the appropriate image or text.  That hardbound book uses simpler prose texts for the fables, and this pamphlet uses those very texts.  The paper cover presents the greedy dog in reds and browns with green accents.  The same image is differently colored inside the pamphlet.  The other fables here are GGE; 2P; BF; DM; and WSC.  The dimensions are identical with those of the earlier book:  8” x 11½”.  Like the other booklets in the series of four, the back cover advertises Peter Robinson’s big building sale, which will last through December and January.  Of which year?

This pamphlet is like a segment of Marcus Ward’s publication ”The Children's Fable Picture Book Containing Twenty-four Pictures, in Colours of Animals and Their Masters with the Fables from Aesop  (Cover: The Children's Picture Book of Fables from Aesop)”.  It covers six of the twenty-four fables there and does so as that book does.  Both are in portrait format for the text pages, with the landscape illustrations on the verso of each text page.  It works out that two text pages face each other and then two image pages do.  It feels a bit strange to keep turning the pamphlet 90 degrees to enjoy the appropriate image or text.  That hardbound book uses simpler prose texts for the fables, and this pamphlet uses those very texts.  The paper cover presents the proud stag in browns and greens.  Other fables here include BW; WL; "The Monkey and the Cats"; BS; and MM.  The dimensions are identical with those of the earlier book:  8” x 11½”.  Like the other booklets in the series of four, the back cover advertises Peter Robinson’s big building sale, which will last through December and January.  Of which year?

This pamphlet is like a segment of Marcus Ward’s publication ”The Children's Fable Picture Book Containing Twenty-four Pictures, in Colours of Animals and Their Masters with the Fables from Aesop  (Cover: The Children's Picture Book of Fables from Aesop)”.  It covers six of the twenty-four fables there and does so as that book does.  Both are in portrait format for the text pages, with the landscape illustrations on the verso of each text page.  It works out that two text pages face each other and then two image pages do.  It feels a bit strange to keep turning the pamphlet 90 degrees to enjoy the appropriate image or text.  That hardbound book uses simpler prose texts for the fables, and this pamphlet uses those very texts.  The paper cover presents the second phase of FS with a pleasant combination of greens, reds, and browns.  The similar half-page inside the pamphlet limits the scene and changes the color of the vase to yellow.  The other fables here are "The Countryman and the Snake"; "The Conceited Crow"; TH; LM; and "The Old Hound."  The dimensions are identical with those of the earlier book:  8” x 11½”.  Like the other booklets in the series of four, the back cover advertises Peter Robinson’s big building sale, which will last through December and January.  Of which year?

This pamphlet is like a segment of Marcus Ward’s publication ”The Children's Fable Picture Book Containing Twenty-four Pictures, in Colours of Animals and Their Masters with the Fables from Aesop  (Cover: The Children's Picture Book of Fables from Aesop)”.  It covers six of the twenty-four fables there and does so as that book does.  Both are in portrait format for the text pages with landscape illustrations.  This book varies at its beginning and end the other copies' practice of showing the reader either two images or two texts.  It still feels a bit strange to keep turning the pamphlet 90 degrees to enjoy the appropriate image or text.  That hardbound book uses simpler prose texts for the fables, and this pamphlet uses those very texts.  The paper cover presents the mice in the country in deep colors.  The similar half-page inside the pamphlet brightens the colors extensively.  The other fables here are SW; "The Trumpeter"; DLS; "The Bear and the Bees": and "The Boys and the Frogs.  The dimensions are identical with those of the earlier book:  8” x 11½”.  Like the other booklets in the series of four, the back cover advertises Peter Robinson’s big building sale, which will last through December and January.  Of which year?