The Jolly Old Man Who Sings Down Derry Down
London: Dean & Son, n.d. (ca. 1860). Hardcover. Very good. Item #19952 .
Large 8vo. Colored upper board, cloth spine, rear board printed in black on purple paper with a list of Dean's "New Series of Strüwelpeters". Illustrated with eight full page hand-colored woodcuts. The page following the last of the illustrations contains a carved face of the "jolly old man" about an inch high which penetrates right through the book to the front cover, the faces of the woodcuts being cut away . Beneath each plate is a rhyming verse about the activities of the Jolly Old Man. Additional publisher's advertisements are on the pink endpapers.
Apparently respined at an early date, with some glue residue along the inner hinges. Boards are soiled with rubbed corners and edges; there is some paper loss to the rear board just affecting the numbers of the Strüwelpeter list. Overall a very good copy and a scarce survival.
Price: $3,000.00