Wonders of the Circus: Men, monkeys, and dogs.
New York: McLoughlin 1883, first edition and first or early hardcover printing (the 3 sections were published in softcover simultaneously); red, blue and yellow boards with six vignettes, "Men, Monkeys, and Dogs" on bottom board, red edges all around, heavy paper, red blue and gilt outlined letters on title page, illustrated half titles for each section, text set in full page illustrations; 8.5x11"; np. Juvenile hardback.
Marvellous scenes of trained animals from the late 1800's. Three sections illustrated with 48 color-tinted images: Visit to the Circus: Dancing Horse Act, Trick Horses at Dinner, Eight Horse Riding Act, Bareback Drum Act, and many Bareback riding tricks; Monkeys' Circus: The Band at the Door, Toby Spinning the Dishes, Miss Lily's Ride, and other monkeys performing human circus acts, including a dinner which seems to be working out better than the Horses'; Wonderful Performing Dogs: Performing Poodles, the Wheelbarrow Ride, and other amazing tricks by fully clothed small dogs with some Newfoundlands obligingly playing the role of Dogs. Interesting pencil inscriptions and poem written by Daisy Maud Watkins as a young child who received this book for Christmas in 1885 and moved to Logan, Ohio in 1886.
CONDITION: Good Plus; careful child's inscriptions from 1880's, all edges worn to undercoat and bottom and corners to card, right edge of spine very chipped off, leaving monkey design complete, original plain endpapers not split, both boards evenly foxed, margins of pages evenly soiled from handling and one small bottom margin spot running through last six pages, tight, straight, and otherwise clean. Item #22514
Price: $750.00