Peter Parley's annual
Subtitle: a Christmas and New Year's present for young people
By: edited by William Martin ...
Contributors: Martin, William, 1801-1867.; Measom, George S., fl. 1845-1862.; Harrison, William Charles, fl. 1856-1871.; Williams, Samuel, 1788-1853.; Landells, Ebenezer, 1808-1860.; Gilks, Thomas.; Dalziel, George, 1815-1902.; Wall, J. P.; Anelay, Henry, 1817-1883.; Foster, Myles Birket, 1825-1899.; Fussell, Joseph, 1818-1912.; Delamotte, William Alfred, 1775-1863.; Absolon, John, 1815-1895.; Macquoid, Thomas Robert, 1820-1912.; Goodrich, Samuel G. 1793-1860.; Leighton, John, 1822-1912.; Leighton Brothers.; Groombridge Brothers
Publisher: Darton & Co.
Published: 1858
Place of publication: London
Language: eng
Number of pages: 296
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.  All are with title captions.

Some wood-engraved illustrations within the text are signed as engraved by George Measom, Harrison [i.e. William Charles Harrison?], S. Williams, C. Gray, E. Landells, T. Gilks, G. Dalziel and J. P. Wall after H. Anelay, B. Foster, Blacklock, J. Fussell [i.e. Joseph Fussell?], "WAD" [i.e. William Alfred Delamotte] and Absolon.

Includes wood-engraved decorative and illustrated initials and tail-pieces.  Some are with signature: "TM" [i.e. Thomas Macquoid].  A few also include signature: "SS".

P. 274 misnumbered "74".

General and publishers' advertisements on p. [1-2], [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 morocco-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 small illustrated vignettes.  Design and spine include signature: "JL" [i.e. John Leighton].  Spine re-backed.  With light yellow glazed endpapers.
Table of contents: value: A happy New Year; value: Acting charades; value: An ugly story; value: Art treasure; value: Black Monday, or, The last of the holidays; value: Botanical researches; value: Boyish heroism; value: Breaking up for the holidays; value: Dog stories; value: Dr. Livingston, and African discoveries; value: Emily; value: George Stephenson; value: Great men of the world; value: He would be; or, One of the greatest of the great; value: Hop gathering; value: Jamset Jejeebhoy; value: Little Minny; value: Newspaper boys; value: Old Patch; value: Something about knighthood; value: Story of a bulldog; value: The great men of England; value: The Hindoo mother; value: The Savoyard; value: The old apple woman; value: The beadle of the parish; value: The waiter; value: The heroic son; value: The doctor's boy; value: The water spaniel; value: The Christmas tree; value: Wolf hunting; or, Boyish sports in the thicket swamp; value: Poetry. Hurrah for the spring; value: The old man's pleasure; value: The child, the preacher; value: The cat eater; value: The no-sportsman boy; value: The song of the dying warrior to his father; value: The bee and the beetle; value: The portuguese peasant boy's song; value: The churchyard; value: What are the newspapers.