Peter Parley's annual
Subtitle: a Christmas and New Year's present for young people.
Contributors: Martin, William, 1801-1867.; Griffiths, Henry, d. 1849.; Cooper, James Davis, 1823-1904.; Williams, Thomas, b. ca. 1800; Williams, Samuel, 1788-1853.; Whymper, Josiah Wood, 1813-1903.; Gray, Charles, engraver, d. 1847; Laing, C. D. fl. 1838-1853.; Landells, Ebenezer, 1808-1860.; Keene, Charles, 1823-1891.; Gilbert, John, Sir, 1817-1897.; Cruikshank, George, 1792-1878.; Goodrich, Samuel G. 1793-1860.; Gregory, Collins & Reynolds.; Andrew & Wagner,; Lewis and Son
Publisher: Darton and Co.
Published: 1847
Place of publication: London
Language: eng
Number of pages: 376
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.

Preliminary colour wood-engraved plate is with imprint: "Printed in Colors by Collins and Reynolds.".  Plate is unsigned.

Steel-engraved plates are with signature: "H. Griffiths Sct.".  All are with title captions.

Some wood-engraved illustrations within the text are signed as engraved by J. Cooper, T. Williams, S. Williams, Andrew & Wagner, Whimper, Gray, H. Beavan, C. D. Laing, E. Landells and W. C. Armstrong.  A couple also include signature: "C. Keene Del.", "J. Pittman Del.".  One includes signature: "[J. Gilbert?]".  One is signed "[J?]B" and another is signed: "GC" [i.e. George Cruikshank].

Publisher's advertisements on p. [1-32] at end entitled: "List of Some of the Illustrated Juvenile Works, sold by Darton and Clark, Holborn Hill.".  Advertisements include wood-engraved illustrations.

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 fine morocco-grain cloth blocked in gold and blind; a.e.g.  Upper cover blocked in gold with illustration similar to those within the text.  With pale pastel yellow endpapers.
Table of contents: value: A visit to a prison; value: About cherries; value: Anecdote: story about Columbus; value: Bird catching in the Shetland Isles; value: Boating extraordinary; or, A little boy's trials; value: Boys' military companies; value: Destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum; value: Elephants and elephant hunting; value: How pence make pounds; or, The little economist; value: Old Edwards; value: Parley's journey in sacred places; value: Parley's railway trips; value: Parley's travels in Palestine and the Holy Land; value: Something about bears; value: Something about the boa constrictor; value: Something about the esquimaux; value: Something about the fox; value: Something about the horse; value: Something about the ostrich; value: Something about the rhinoceros; value: Something about the Sikhs; value: Something about the swan, white and black; value: Story of a sailor boy; value: The boy king; value: The child and the hermit; value: The eider fowl; value: The insects of the forest; value: The king and the young man; value: The king of the commons; value: The Knights Templar; value: The missionary; value: The seal fishery; value: The shamoy; value: The sick dog; value: The wild boar and boar hunting; value: Tiger hunting; value: Veracity of a Moor; value: Walks about London; value: Poetry. Childhood; value: Hymn of the mountain tops; value: Marion Lee; value: Song of the season, "O how brightly"; value: The blackberry girl; value: The fly; value: The monkey; value: The mother; value: The silkworm; value: The swan; value: Tiger hunt; value: To a little child; value: To 'Lilly,' a very little child; value: To Mars; value: To some children listening to a lark; value: To Venus.