Peter Parley's annual
Subtitle: a Christmas and New Year's present for young people.
Contributors: Martin, William, 1801-1867.; Gray, Charles, engraver, d. 1847; Whymper, Josiah Wood, 1813-1903.; Landells, Ebenezer, 1808-1860.; Mason, W. G. fl. 1842-1857.; Weigall, Charles Harvey, 1794-1877.; Goodrich, Samuel G. 1793-1860.; Clarke, J. O. (printer); Leighton Brothers.
Publisher: Darton and Co.
Published: 1853
Place of publication: London
Language: eng
Number of pages: 384
Subjects: Gift books -- Specimens.; Children's literature -- Periodicals.; Boys -- Periodicals.
Genres: Specimens.; Periodicals.
Other titles: Peter Parley's magazine
Notes: Added colour wood-engraved illustrated t.p. with imprint:"Printed in colors by Leighton Brothers.".  Plate includes areas printed in colour with metal.

Preliminary colour wood-engraved plate is with signature: "Leighton".  Others are unsigned.  Some include title captions.  All are with areas printed in colour with metal.

"*My readers will perceive that there is a distinguishing feature in this volume, of great importance.  I have inserted a series of articles on the Manufactures of Great Britain.  I think that all young Britons should be acquainted with the source of our wealth, and of not a little of our greatness as a nation.  I have therefore taken pains to give them, in the following pages, such particulars relating to the Productive Industry of Our Country as I have considered they would find interesting and intelligible."--Preface.

Most wood-engraved illustrations within the text are unsigned.  Some are signed as engraved by Beavan, C. Gray, Whimper, Armstrong, E. Landells and W. G. Mason.  One also includes signature "C. H. Weigall" and another "Browne Del.".

Includes wood-engraved decorative and illustrated initials.

P. 360 misnumbered "560".

Publisher's advertisements on p. [1]-31, [1] 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 cord-grain cloth blocked in gold and blind; a.e.g.  Upper cover blocked in gold with illustration showing two archers with a dog.  With pale pastel yellow glazed endpapers.  Lacking upper free endpaper.
Table of contents: value: Benefactors of mankind: John Howard; value: Catching a bear, and taking the conceit out of him; value: Feeding the deer - Francis the First delivering his two sons as hostages, after the battle of Paria; value: Good Queen Elizabeth and her Royal Pageants; value: Industrial (the) arts and manufactures of Great Britain; value: Monkey tale; value: Observation and experiment; value: Peter Parley's travels in the East; value: Prince Charles Stuart raising his standard in the Vale of Glenfinnan; value: Snatches of science, magnetism; value: Something about coral; value: Something about cuttle fish; value: Something about crabs and crab catching; value: Something about giants; value: Something about the gold fields of Australia; value: Something about the Hoopoe; value: Something about insects; value: Something about the management of poultry, for little boys and girls; value: Something about partridges, and some account of one Samuel Barber; value: Something about squirrels; value: Something about wild-beast fights; value: Something about wolves; value: Story of an alligator fight; value: Story of a bull, or rather of a buffalo; value: Tales of the ancient chronicles, legends, and ballads of England; value: Tales from history; value: The old buccaneer, a sea story by Old Ben Backstay; value: Wolves and their attacks; value: Poetry.  French and English; value: The churchyard; value: The contented blind boy; value: The mill stream; value: The song of the cherry tree; value: Flora and the boy.