Cock Robin and Jenny Wren and other nursery rhymes.
London: Ernest Nister, New York, E. P. Dutton & Co, "Enlarged Edition, Board Cover, " circa 1895, Printed in Bavaria #625, full illustrated paper top board with red cloth spine and plain bottom board, the Nister picture with Cock Robin tipping his hat to Jenny Wren who is peeking from behind her fan, both on an apple bough with blue sky and clouds behind,; lively sepia or teal line drawings on every page, most by Foster, along with four full page chromolithos. 9" x 11" (26 pp). Picture Book hardback.
On the first page Foster shows Cock Robin tossing off pages of this book as he selects the poems, making sure to insert some funny rhymes after the sad Death. Despite its title, this book is really a Mother Goose.
Cock Robin, AKA Weedon, put together a collection of 12 Nursery Rhymes and a long counting rhyme, and included Jenny Wren's wedding and the Death and Burial of her new husband illustrated by three large chromo plates. The wren and the little English robin have hundreds of years of history in folklore. This poem, The Marriage of Robin Redbreast and the Wren was attributed to Robert Burns by his sister Isabella in her 80th year, as she recalled her childhood to Robert Chanmbers.. It was first published by him in his "Popular Rhymes of Scotland" (1826)
The fourth chromo plate of the The Butterflies' Ball and the Grasshoppers' Feast shows little buttterfly children flying in a pale blue sky above a table of convivial grasshoppers. surrounded by various small creatures. The poem was written by Williiam Rosco, MP and abolitionist, in 1802. Foster illustratrated these poems with sprightly drawings in text, a second more romantic illustrator has a signature that is hard to make out..
The wren and the little English robin have hundreds of years of history in folklore. This poem, The Marriage of Robin Redbreast and the Wren was attributed to Robert Burns by his sister Isabella in her 80th year, as she recalled her childhood to Robert Chanmbers.. It was first published by him in his "Popular Rhymes of Scotland" (1826)
Worldcat list two of these Nister Enlarged editions in libraries worldwide and 4 others in the series, also scarce.
CONDITION: Good Plus; no names or other marks, nice corners and spine ends, a long faint corner crease and a small pull tear on the top board, light soil to cream bottom board, pages clean, flat, toned, not foxed, 1" gutter margin tear. Item #22728
Price: $185.00