The Busy Bo-peeps; Carl, Betsey, Babykins and their Dog Bussy, The Drollest Imaginable Band of Four
Philadelphia: David McKay, n.d. Preston, Chloe. Hardcover. Quarto size, 50 pp. Very good. Item #CNJWEM109
Chloe Preston (1887-1969) illustrated many children's books, and on this work hers is the only name printed on the front board; the author is given credit on the title page, but in smaller lettering, and underneath, that of Chloe Preston.
Information on Preston seems a bit elusive; from various online sources we gleen that she was born in Britain "in a gentrified English country environment". Her charming illustrations of the Chunkies (anthropomorphic wooden dolls), the Bo-Peeps and the Peek-a-Boos have "clear simple outlines and bright colours, [and] her humorous images portray simple excursions and activities" (n.b., quotes from the web site of the Antique Print Club).
This volume undated; it was first published in 1914, per "The Publisher's Weekly" for September 26, 1914: "The Busy Bo - Peeps / Pictured by Chloe Preston / Rhyme / The exciting adventures of Carl , Betsy , Babykins and their Dog Buzzy are pictured by twenty-three full-page colored plates/ from characteristic drawings of Chloe Preston . The verses by Miss Grayden will be enjoyed by children of all ages..."
___DESCRIPTION: Bound in glossy paper over boards, red cloth spine and tips, the front board with a Preston illustration and lettering in red outlined in black, stapled binding, pictorial endpapers, Christmas gift inscription on the verso of the front free endpaper dated 1917, the title page with three small Indian symbols of the swastika (per Wiki: "In the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit, swastika means 'well-being'. The symbol has been used by Hindus, Buddhists and Jains for millennia and is commonly assumed to be an Indian sign"), with a total of twelve full-colour illustrations and another twelve in black and red, all illustrations printed on the rectos only, the text placed on the pages opposite the colour illustrations; quarto size (11 3/8" by 9"), a total of twenty-five leaves [50 pp.].
___CONDITION: Very good, the boards mostly clean with light dustiness and a few stray spots of soil, straight corners with light rubbing, a strong, square text block,, the interior mostly clean with a few scattered smudges, and the sole prior owner marking we see the gift inscription referred to above; some rubbing to the board edges, a faint crease to the bottom portion of the front board, the hinges tender but holding, several gutters beginning to crack but all pages firmly attached.
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Price: $500.00