6. COOPER, Mary; publisher.
The History of England by Thomas Thumb, Esq. London: Mary Cooper, 1749. 12mo (6 1/2 x 3 5/8 inches; 164 x 90 mm). 31 woodcut portraits of English monarchs. Contemporary calf gilt. Condition : title slightly browned; rubbed, spine chipped. Provenance : Thos. Vicars Hunter (early signature).
first (and only) edition of the first history of england designed for children , and the source for John Newbery's Compendious History of England (1758) which reprints the 31 woodcuts in a reduced format (Roscoe J76). Following the same publisher's travel book for children ( Travels of Tom Thumb over England and Wales , 1746) Tom Thumb is once again enlisted to make the subject matter more palatable to youth (the text begins "That I am myself under the ordinary size of men …").
est. $4000 – $6000
Unsold