The nursery alphabet

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The nursery alphabet. - London : George Routledge & Co., [1854]. Variant B: [1854]. Courtesy of Toronto Public Library (BI NUR)
The nursery alphabet. - London : George Routledge & Co., [1854]. Variant B: [1854]. Courtesy of Toronto Public Library (BI NUR)
The nursery alphabet. - London : George Routledge & Co., [1854]. Variant B: [1854]. Courtesy of Toronto Public Library (BI NUR)
The nursery alphabet. - London : George Routledge & Co., [1854]. Variant B: [1854]. Courtesy of Toronto Public Library (BI NUR)
The nursery alphabet. - London : George Routledge & Co., [1854]. Variant B: [1854]. Courtesy of Toronto Public Library (BI NUR)
The nursery alphabet. - London : George Routledge & Co., [1854]. Variant B: [1854]. Courtesy of Toronto Public Library (BI NUR)

pcb2395

The nursery alphabet. - London : George Routledge & Co., [1854]. Variant B: [1854]. Courtesy of Toronto Public Library (BI NUR)
The nursery alphabet. - London : George Routledge & Co., [1854]. Variant B: [1854]. Courtesy of Toronto Public Library (BI NUR)
The nursery alphabet. - London : George Routledge & Co., [1854]. Variant B: [1854]. Courtesy of Toronto Public Library (BI NUR)
The nursery alphabet. - London : George Routledge & Co., [1854]. Variant B: [1854]. Courtesy of Toronto Public Library (BI NUR)
The nursery alphabet. - London : George Routledge & Co., [1854]. Variant B: [1854]. Courtesy of Toronto Public Library (BI NUR)
The nursery alphabet. - London : George Routledge & Co., [1854]. Variant B: [1854]. Courtesy of Toronto Public Library (BI NUR)

TITLE

The nursery alphabet.

PUBLISHED

London : George Routledge & Co., [1854].

SERIES

Aunt Mavor's picture books for little readers [second series] : 1

PRICE

6d.

AUTHOR

Crowquill, Alfred (Alfred Henry Forrester) (illustrator)
George Routledge & Co. (publisher)
Lee, James (engraver)

TYPOLOGY

Alphabet book

DESCRIPTION

Size
25x17,5 cm
Format and pagination
8° : 8 ll.
Signatures
A⁸
Signatures note
1 gathering, sewn, paginated 1-8
Contents
1-8, text and wood-engraved vignettes
Covers
Upper wrapper uniform for the series, printed in black; inserted in floral decorated frame, at head: "SECOND SERIES OF | AUNT MAVOR'S PICTURE BOOKS | FOR | LITTLE READERS."; in a roundel, the same picture as Aunt Mavor's picture books for little readers series but here Aunt Mavor points at the series titles as in a shop window instead of the site of the Great Exhibition; at foot: "[fancy] LONDON: | GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND CO., FARRINGDON STREET; | NEW YORK: 18, BEEKMAN STREET. | PRICE SIXPENCE."; specific for this title: "[fancy] NURSERY ALPHABET."
Lower wrapper uniform for the series; inserted in a decorated frame, printed in black: "LIST OF THE SERIES | OF | AUNT MAVOR'S | PICTURE BOOKS FOR LITTLE READERS. | [fancy] First Series. | [titles 1-14] | [fancy] Second Series. | [titles1-13] | LONDON: | GEORGE ROUTLEDGE & CO., FARRINGDON STREET. | NEW YORK: 18, BEEKMAN STREET."
Illustrations
24 illustrations, three per page, signed by Lee, printed in black and hand-coloured
Source for attribution
Statement on the title page of the collective volume Aunt Mavor's nursery tales for good little people, gathering all the series' titles: "With one hundred coloured illustrations by Alfred Crowquill" (see 2006 Masaki, I.375ff.)
Signature (engraver, inside illustrations)
Source for date
Documents state first edition in November 1854 and a reissue in March 1855 with a total of 4000 copies
Listed in Routledge's wholesale catalogue of November 1855 as no. 1 of Aunt Mavor's picture books for little readers, second series
Advertisements

NOTES

Printed on one side of the sheet only; first and last page pasted to upper and lower wrappers
Title and publication information from upper wrapper, which serves as title page, and from lower wrapper publishers' advertisements

PRINTING TECHNIQUES

Relief
Hand-colouring