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; Walmsley, John, fl. 1839-1878.; Laing, C. D. fl. 1838-1853.; Williams, Thomas, b. ca. 1800.; Jackson, John, 1801-1848.; Thompson, John, 1785-1866.; Byfield, Mary, 1794 or 5-1871.; Cruikshank, George, 1792-1878.; Goodrich, Samuel G. 1793-1860.; Doudney, David Alfred, 1811-1894 (printer); Darton and Clark.
Publisher: Simpkin, Marshall, and Co.
Published: 1842
Place of publication: London
Language: eng
Number of pages: 368
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 steel-engraved t.p.

"*Peter Parley has to thank the Author of a very pretty and excellent little book, "Tracings of Maritime Discovery," for his kind permission to copy one of the plates of that work, "the Privateer,", p. 98"--Preface.

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

Wood-engraved illustrations within the text are signed as engraved by C. Gray, J. Pitman, G & C Wall, J. Walmsley, C. D. Laing, Thos Williams, J. Jackson, J. Thompson and Byfield.  Some also include signature: "GC" [i.e. George Cruikshank].

Publisher's advertisements on p. [1]-16 at end entitled: "Works published by Darton and Clark ... ".

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 teal green fine diaper-grain cloth blocked in gold and blind; a.e. speckled red.  Upper cover blocked in gold with part of the same illustrated vignette as blocked on the spine.  With light yellow endpapers.  With ownership label: "Edward Leake,  Ludlow.".
Table of contents: value: Peter Parley in Palestine; value: The old lady, her cat, and its nine lives; value: Tales of the British Navy; value: The life and adventures of Neddy Bray; value: A Roman story; value: A story about wolves; value: A pitfal; value: A few words on fairy tales; value: The story of an antelope; value: The privateer; value: Hope and the fairy; value: Uncle John's visit to the Polytechnic Institution; value: Rats; value: The sailor's orphan; or, Phebe Bluff; value: Simon Cute, the Essex prodigy; value: Pigeons; value: The Thames tunnel; value: Mahommed; value: Something about squirrels; value: Jack Robinson; value: Martins and swallows; value: A Carthaginian story; value: A tale of Venice; value: The Wreckers; value: The haunted mill; value: Stories about dogs; value: Something about shells; value: Stories about lions; value: Lobenski, the Polish exile; value: The young volunteer; value: A tale with meaning; value: Christmas amusements; value: The two friends.