Old Saratoga Books has been fortunate to acquire a large collection of antiquarian and rate children's books recently. We put together an E-list of these titles for your review at this link.
Here are a few highlights from this children's book list:
Animal Stories for Little People, NY: A.L. Burt Company, nd. Circa 1890s-1900s. Brown cloth decorated on front boards and with color inset illustration by J. Watson Davis of Asian man with long ponytail riding a bear illustrating inside story of Wang Lee. Unattributed color frontispiece of parade of animals riding bicycles. 120pp + [2]pp of publisher ads. Engravings throughout. VG. Boards lightly worn, corners rounded, pages toned, some light finger soiling. A compilation of short stories about animals ranging from orangutans to pet dogs and cats. $25
J’Apprends l’Orthographe: L’Orthographe de l’Avenir, by Mlle. H.S. Bres, Paris: Librairie Hachette, nd. Circa 1910s primary school spelling book. Text in French. Color illustrated paper-covered boards over brown cloth. 64pp. Four color plates and 256 lively engravings after Steinlein, Le Mouel, Baseilhac, and others. VG. Boards mildly worn, pages toned. Attractive linocut bookplate on front pastedown endpaper. $50
Truant Peter, NY: McLoughlin Bros, nd. Circa 1860s. Pink sewn stiff wrappers printed in red and black. Measures 6.5 x 4.5 inches. [8]pp. Vibrant color printed engravings by Cogger on each page of text. VG. Wrappers and illustrations are remarkably bright and fresh. Some light foxing to center leaves. A title in the publisher’s Peter Prim’s series. Contains two cautionary tales in verse for young children. The first, Truant Peter, tells of a boy who skips school to go fishing, only to be pulled into the ocean by a big fish, where he is subsequently rescued by fishermen. The second story relates the story of Idle Frank, an odious boy who pulls his sister’s hair, ties a stick to his dog’s tail, and grows up to be a homeless beggar. $100.
Cartile cu Apolodor, by Gellu Naum, Bucharest: Editura Ion Creanga, 1979, first edition. Color illustrated softcover. Trippy color illustrations by Dan Stanciu. 128pp. Text in Romanian. Good. Covers worn, stain to page tops and top edge of front cover. A bizarre collection of children’s verses about the travels of a penguin named Apolodor, which include a trip to Tunis and then a tour of the United States (he is a cowboy in the West, visits the Statue of Liberty, a Ku Klux Klan meeting in St. Louis(!), and then a boat trip down the Mississippi with two black Americans.) $50
The Donkey Dick and Other Stories, by Mrs. George Cupples [Ann Jane Dunn Douglas Cupples], London: T. Nelson and Sons, nd, circa 1870s. Blue decorated cloth with title stamped in gilt on front boards. Measures 6.5x4 inches. [52]pp. Good. Second signature loose, spine cracked. A short story for young readers on each page with engraved illustration. Most stories involve moral tales about young people and animal profiles. $50
