Peter Parley's annual
Subtitle: a Christmas and New Year's present for young people.
Contributors: Martin, William, 1801-1867.; Measom, George S., fl. 1845-1862.; Mayson, S.; Macquoid, Thomas Robert, 1820-1912.; Goodrich, Samuel G. 1793-1860.; Aird, D. M., printer; Leighton Brothers.
Publisher: Darton & Co.
Published: 1857
Place of publication: London
Language: eng
Number of pages: 280
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 plates are colour wood engravings produced using the "Baxter Process", with areas and lines that are printed with an intaglio metal plate. Plates are unsigned and without imprint.

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

Wood-engraved plates are signed as engraved by George Measom.

Most wood-engraved illustrations within the text are unsigned.  A few are signed as engraved by George Measom.  One is signed as engraved by J. L. Dudley after S. Mayson and another is with signature: "T. Cunningham".

Includes wood-engraved decorative and illustrated initials and tail-pieces.  Some are with signature: "T. Macquoid" or "TM".

Publishers'  and general advertisements on p. [1-2] an [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 morocco-grain cloth blocked in gold and blind; a.e.g.  With yellow endpapers.  With ownership inscription dated 1857: "Edward Leake".
Table of contents: value: Prose. Andes, a pass in the; value: Aunt Susan and the peaches; value: Doleful tragedy, a; value: Cobra de Capello, story of the; value: Electric light, the; value: Emmerline and Marianne; value: Funny things about cats; value: Funny things about goats; value: Foolish laddie, the; value: Ferocious and sanguinary combat of the alphabet; value: Ghost-ship, the; value: George Trevanion; value: Going to the fair; value: Gathering the misletoe [sic]; value: Harvest home; value: Insect world, the; value: Lion hunting, more about; value: Modern mechanical wonders; value: Opening of the year, the; value: Opossum hunting; value: Old times and old things; value: One head worth four pair of hands; value: Queen of the flowers, the; value: Riding extraordinary; value: Self-sacrifice; or, the dog and the alligator, and the dog's last look; value: Stereoscope, the; value: Tales about Russia and the Russians; value: Village church, the; value: Wild boar hunting; value: Poetry. Heavenly world, the; value: Holiday frolic; value: Little Willey, to; value: Sublime sonnet, a; value: Secret sorrow, the; value: Tea-kettle's concert, the; value: To a mother; value: The dead donkey.