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Nister, Ernest; Myrton, Hope; Bingham, Clifton; Wetherly, Fred E.
The Robins at Home.
Publisher: Ernest Nister; E. P. Dutton & Co. London; New York;
Date of Publication: 1895
Stock Code: 9676
FIRST EDITION. Quarto, pp. [26]. Illustrated with four fully functional double-page chromolithographed coloured pop-ups and black and white illustrations throughout. Bound in the original coloured pictorial boards depicting a children’s tea-party with Robins and fairies; with a moss-green cloth spine; pictorial floral endpapers. Undated to title-page but with small copyright statement dated 1895 to second pop-up. Boards lightly soiled to lower board with slight wear to spine-tip cloth; minor loss to bottom corners of boards and first 2 leaves; additional later paste-down papers, sympathetic joint repair at p.[8]. Some light scattered foxing throughout. Contents secure, bright and free of inscriptions, and annotations. Pop-ups are remarkably complete, fully functional, bright and vibrant and free of tears or loss. Rarely found in this condition. Delightful early panorama pop-up book illustrating the Victorian childhood imagination. Publisher/illustrator Ernest Nister was the first to invent and publish automatic pop-up books, and is renowned for his innovative paper engineering. The Robins at Home contains fantastic examples of Nister’s anthropomorphic automatic pop-ups, with dazzling three-dimensional chromolithographed illustrations depicting tandem riding kittens, monocled terriers, and performing elephants which maintain their vivid colouring. £250.00