Peter Parley's annual
Subtitle: a Christmas & New Year's present for young people
By: [e]dited by William Martin ...
Contributors: Martin, William, 1801-1867.; Melville, Harden Sidney, fl. 1837-1882.; Harral, Horace.; Evans, Edmund, 1826-1905.; Lee, James, fl. 1800-1875.; Cooper, James Davis, 1823-1904.; Gilks, Thomas.; Powis, William Henry, fl. 1808-1836.; Mason, W. G. fl. 1842-1857.; Measom, George S., fl. 1845-1862.; Sears, Matthew Urlwin, b. ca. 1800.; Williams, Thomas, b. ca. 1800.; Foster, Myles Birket, 1825-1899.; Keene, Charles, 1823-1891.; Delamotte, William Alfred, 1775-1863.; Macquoid, Thomas Robert, 1820-1912.; Goodrich, Samuel G. 1793-1860.; Collins & Co.
Publisher: Darton and Co.
Published: 1861
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 magazine
Notes: Added colour wood-engraved illustrated t.p. and preliminary plate are colour wood engravings produced using the "Baxter Process", with areas and lines that are printed with an intaglio metal plate.  Preliminary plate is with imprint: "Collins & Co.".

Most wood-engraved plates within the text are unsigned.  One is with signature: "H. S. Melville" and another: "H. Harral Sc.".

Several wood-engraved illustrations within the text are signed as engraved by E. Evans after B. Foster and Lee [i.e. James Lee?] after "AC".  Others are signed as engraved by J. Cooper after C. Keene, T. Gilks after "WAD" [i.e. William Alfred Delamotte], W. Powis, H. Harral, W. G. Mason, George Measom, M. U. Sears and T. Williams.

Includes wood-engraved decorative and illustrated initials.  A few are with signature: "TM" [i.e. Thomas Macquoid] or "Lee".

General and publishers' advertisements on p. [1]-31 and [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 horizontal wave-grain cloth blocked in gold and blind; a.e.g.  Upper cover blocked in gold and lower cover in blind with title and decorative border design with illustrations replicated from the text.  Design includes signature: "MAC".  Bottom of spine with additional imprint: "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year".  With light yellow endpapers.
Table of contents: value: Christmas delights and holiday fun; value: The misletoe [sic] bough and its reminiscences; value: New Year's gifts; value: Sports and games of England in the olden time; value: Snap-dragons; value: Curious and funny things about fairies and fitches, etc.; value: King Arthur; value: The natural history and management of pets; value: Distributing the prizes at a village school; value: Going a-nutting; value: A nutting frolic; value: The Queen of the May; value: Sports of England in the olden time; value: Funny things about sprites, and something about the fairies; value: Boy volunteers; value: England in the olden time; value: The old dragon's story; value: Merry-making of England in the olden times; value: The ugly dog of the castle; value: School friendship; value: Within and without; or, feeding the deer; value: Brooklet beauties and hedgerow delights; value: Poetry. Answers to botanical questions in our annual for 1860; value: Saturday afternoon; value: Song for the volunteers.