Peter Parley's annual
Subtitle: a Christmas & New Year's present for young people
By: edited by William Martin ...
Contributors: Martin, William, 1801-1867.; Woods, Henry N., fl. 1855-1869.; Slader, Samuel M.; Measom, George S., fl. 1845-1862.; Evans, Edmund, 1826-1905.; Landells, Ebenezer, 1808-1860.; Lee, James, fl. 1800-1875.; Sears, Matthew Urlwin, b. ca. 1800.; Prior, William Henry, 1812-1882.; Williams, Samuel, 1788-1853.; Foster, Myles Birket, 1825-1899.; Portch, Julian, d. 1865.; Goodrich, Samuel G. 1793-1860.; Stevens, William, printer; Leighton Brothers.; Kerby & Son.
Publisher: Darton and Hodge
Published: 1863
Place of publication: London
Language: eng
Number of pages: 312
Subjects: Gift books -- Specimens.; Children's literature -- Periodicals.; Boys -- Periodicals.
Genres: Specimens.; Periodicals.
Other titles: Peter Parley's annual :; Peter Parley's annual for 1863; Peter Parley's magazine
Notes: Publisher's device printed on t.p.

Added colour wood-engraved illustrated t.p.

Colour wood-engraved plates are unsigned and without imprint.  All are with title captions.

According to Ruari McLean, colour plates were possibly printed by Leighton Brothers.  Cf. His notes at the Massey College Library.

Some wood-engraved illustrations within the text are signed as engraved by H. N. Woods, Slader, George Measom, E. Evans, Landells, Lee [i.e. James Lee?], M. U. Sears, W. H. Prior, S. Williams and J. L. Dudley after B. Foster, "M.E.D", J. J. Portch [i.e. Julian Portch?] and J. Browne.

Includes wood-engraved decorative and illustrated initials.  One is with signature: "[MR?]" and another: "H. N. Woods"

General and publishers' advertisements on p. [1-32] at end.

Part of a series published under various imprints from 1840-1892 that consisted of bound volumes of the monthly numbers of "Peter Parley's Magazine", which began publication in 1839 under the imprint of Darton and Clark.  William Martin edited several numbers of the "Magazine".  In the early years the "Annual" was published with the imprint of its distributors, Simpkin, Marshall and Co.  Cf. Darton, F. J. Harvey.  Children's books in England, 1982.

Believed to be the earliest boy's annual published in Britain.  Cf. McLean, Ruari.  Victorian book design and colour printing, 1972.

The American author S. C. Goodrich claimed exclusive rights to the pseudonym "Peter Parley" and quarreled with its use by both British and American publishers for works of which he denies authorship and for bogus re-workings of his writings under the Parley name.  He also objected to the use of the pseudonym for this Annual, the authorship of which he bears no responsibility.  Cf. Goodrich, S. G. Recollections of a lifetime, 1967.

Faxon, F. W. Literary annuals, p. 108.

St. John, Judith. Osborne collection of early children's books, Vol. 1, p. 406.

Cf. Darton, F. J. Harvey.  Children's books in England, p. 221-228.

McLean, Ruari.  Victorian book design and colour printing, p. 40, 42, 47-48, 58, 62, 192.

Goodrich, S. G. Recollections of a lifetime, v. 2, p. 296.

MASS copy: Bound in red bead-grain cloth blocked in gold and blind; a.e.g.  Upper cover blocked in gold and lower cover in blind with title and elaborate illustrated and decorative border with central illustration.  Spine with imprint: "London.  Darton & Hodge".   With red-brown painted endpapers.  With bookseller's label: "Kerby & Son,  190, Oxford Street.".
Table of contents: value: A word for winter; value: Halcyon days; value: The highland gathering; or, New Year's Day in the Highlands; value: A boy's visit to the Exhibition; value: Our midsummer holidays; value: The old veteran; his wooden leg and his war stories; value: Deer-stalking in the Highlands; value: The good country parson; value: The young naturalist; or, Curious and entertaining facts from the book of nature; value: Bear-hunting in Russia and Germany; value: Boy Mynheer Von Dolter Dunken, and the history of his cat; value: Rescue of the lamb; value: A panther story; value: Hobgoblin Hall; or, A night of alarm and terror, and no wonder; value: Birthplace and boyhood of William the Conqueror; value: Story of a tame squirrel; value: The agricultural show, 1862; value: The boy wolf-hunter; value: Ben Moulton's and Charley Kingston's first taste of soldiering; value: Boyhood of Bayard; value: Camp; a good old game of sport; value: Wild-beast fights; value: Wild pigeons, and their wonderful doings; value: Little Poppet; or, He would be an artist; value: The martins defending their nest against the stoat; value: The story of the year; value: The dance of the fishes in the salt sea of Bantry Bay: an Irish legend; value: Poetry. To a child in prayer; value: A child's evening thoughts.