Rare Book Monthly

Book Catalogue Reviews - June - 2014 Issue

Children's Books from Aleph-Bet Books

The Brownies go for a ride.

The Brownies go for a ride.

Item 319 is an unusual book: All Through the Day the Looking Glass Way. It contains pictures of various animals doing animal things, with text for each image. However, the text is reversed, so it can only be read by looking at it in a mirror. A mirror is provided in a pocket at the front of the book. This must be really annoying. The creator of this 1926 oddity was Jean Broadhurst. $400.

 

Item 111 is an original drawing by Palmer Cox, creator of the “Brownies.” The Brownies were elves who played tricks and helped around the house, but always evaded being seen by humans. Cox's creatures were very popular around the turn of the century, with books, periodicals, comics, and merchandise featuring them. This picture shows a group of them, looking quite concerned, as they ride on the back of an ostrich. A few others point directions. See the image on this page. It is undated, but is similar to a drawing that appeared in the 1894 book The Brownies Around the World. $4,250.

 

Aleph-Bet Books may be reached at 914-764-7410 or Helen@alephbet.com. Their website is found at www.alephbet.com.

Rare Book Monthly

  • Sotheby's
    Fine Books, Manuscripts & More
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s: William Shakespeare.
    The Poems and Sonnets of William Shakespeare, 1960. 7,210 USD
    Sotheby’s: Charles Dickens.
    A Christmas Carol, First Edition, 1843. 17,500 USD
    Sotheby’s: William Golding.
    Lord of the Flies, First Edition, 1954. 5,400 USD
    Sotheby's
    Fine Books, Manuscripts & More
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s: Lewis Carroll.
    Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There, Inscribed First Edition, 1872. 25,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: J.R.R. Tolkien.
    The Hobbit, First Edition, 1937. 12,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: John Milton.
    Paradise Lost, 1759. 5,400 USD

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