Slovenly Peter & many other Stories 1860’s McLoughlin hand colored juvenile book

Slovenly Peter's Little Story Book. (Containing 10 short pictorial stories).

Published NY, John McLoughlin c.1860’s.

Hardcover, color lithographed paper covered boards, cloth spine. Well used condition.

Text leaves shaken, numerous pages loose or detached. Original string tied spine mostly loosened now. Might lack a leaf or two (?).

Book contains 10 different stories. These are: Little Suck-a-Thumb, Carry the Candle, The Dirty Child, Rocking Philip, The Little Glutton, Jimmy Sliderlegs, Little Jacob and how he became fat, Sammy Tickletooth, Untidy Tom and last- Tom the Thief, 

color lithographed wood engravings with after-touches of original hand coloring.

This is what a much loved and well read/ handled 19th century juvenile looks like. Leaves appear to be mixed up on a couple stories.

The survival rate of 19th century color paper juvenile books such as this is very low, a minuscule percentage (almost certainly under 10% in most cases, probably 1-5% of half of all those originally produced). Some issues scattered all over the place in publishing history may all but no longer exist as copies.

So even if “a lot” were made then, it would still be very modest by most modern standards of production.

Meaning the actual sales run of hand made books like this would have to be measured in low thousands, thus meaning survival rates probably below 100 -200 per title, with variations of course depending upon factors such as size, title, orig. price, condition, etc.

Therefore, all surviving examples of 19th century color juvenile books should be considered inherently scarce and worthy of acquisition on some level, their actual comparative rarity being mostly invisible to the casual observer.

Please inspect pics carefully!

Book measures c. 6 1/4”H x 4 1/4” W.

B15723