The history of our pets
pcb2482
TITLE
The history of our pets.
VARIANT TITLE
Title from page 1
Domestic pets.
Domestic pets.
PUBLISHED
London ; New York : George Routledge & Co., [1856].
PRINTED
[London] : Edmund Evans.
SERIES
PRICE
6d.
AUTHOR
TYPOLOGY
DESCRIPTION
Size
24,9x17,2 cm
Format and pagination
8° : 8 ll.
Signatures
A8
Signatures note
1 gathering, sewn, paginated 1-8
Illustrations
8 illustrations, unsigned, engraved and printed in black by Evans, hand-coloured
Source for attribution
Statement of responsibility (engraver and printer)
Source for date
List of titles on lower wrapper
Listed in Routledge's wholesale catalogue of June 1856 as no. 30 of Aunt Mavor's picture books for little readers
Documents state first edition in July / August 1856 and reissues until March 1857
Listed in Routledge's wholesale catalogue of September 1857 as no. 30 of Aunt Mavor's toy books
Reissued after 1859 as no. 30 of Aunt Mavor's toy books [new series] (see pcb2901)
24,9x17,2 cm
Format and pagination
8° : 8 ll.
Signatures
A8
Signatures note
1 gathering, sewn, paginated 1-8
Illustrations
8 illustrations, unsigned, engraved and printed in black by Evans, hand-coloured
Source for attribution
Statement of responsibility (engraver and printer)
Source for date
List of titles on lower wrapper
Listed in Routledge's wholesale catalogue of June 1856 as no. 30 of Aunt Mavor's picture books for little readers
Documents state first edition in July / August 1856 and reissues until March 1857
Listed in Routledge's wholesale catalogue of September 1857 as no. 30 of Aunt Mavor's toy books
Reissued after 1859 as no. 30 of Aunt Mavor's toy books [new series] (see pcb2901)
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
Title and publication information from upper wrapper, which serves as title page, and from lower wrapper publishers' advertisements
PRINTING TECHNIQUES
VARIANTS
Variant A
[1856]: blue paper; described and reproduced (lower wrapper) in 2006 Masaki, I.396-97, II.B6; upper wrapper, not analysed; lower wrapper printed in black on blue paper, with publishers' advertisements, framed: "[fancy] Illustrated Juvenile Books, | PUBLISHED BY GEORGE ROUTLEDGE & CO., FARRINGDON STREET. | ROUTLEDGE'S EVERLASTING BOOKS, | [...] | ROUTLEDGE'S EVERLASTING PRIMER, | [...] | ROUTLEDGE'S EVERLASTING SIXPENNY PRIMERS, | [...] | ROUTLEDGE'S TWOPENNY CLOTH FIRST BOOKS, Illustrated. | [...] | ROUTLEDGE'S PENNY CLOTH FIRST BOOKS, Illustrated. | [...] | ROUTLEDGE'S PENNY CLOTH BATTLEDORES, Illustrated. | [...] | AUNT MAVOR'S TOY BOOKS FOR LITTLE READERS. | [three columns, each with a separate list of the series, 14, 13, 13 titles]"; only partially analysed
Variant B
[1856]: light pinkish paper; upper wrapper as pcb2479, on light pinkish paper; specific for this title, plain lettering: "[black] THE | [red outlined in black] HISTORY [black] OF [red outlined in black] OUR PETS."; 1856 lower wrapper printed in black on light pinkish paper, with publishers' advertisements, framed: "[fancy] Illustrated Juvenile Books, | PUBLISHED BY GEORGE ROUTLEDGE & CO., FARRINGDON-STREET. | In royal 8vo, price 3s. 6d. cloth extra. | AUNT MAVOR'S PRESENT FOR A GOOD LITTLE BOY. | Comprising – | [three columns, first] Aunt Mavor's Alphabet. | Willie's Holiday. | [second] Charles Grey's Travels. | Mr. Fox and Miss Hare. | [third] Mavor's Picture Gallery. | Reynard the Fox. | [at centre] With 88 Coloured Illustrations. | In royal 8vo, price 3s. 6d. cloth extra. | AUNT MAVOR'S PRESENT FOR A GOOD LITTLE GIRL. | Comprising – | [three columns, first] Victoria Alphabet. | Old Cornish Woman. | [second] The Cat's Tea Party. | Mother Bunch's Evening Party. | [third] Little Polly's Doll's House. | Uncle Hugh's Country House. | [at centre] With 74 Coloured Illustrations. | In super royal 8vo, price 6s. cloth extra, strongly bound. | AUNT MAVOR'S PRESENT FOR ALL GOOD BOYS AND GIRLS. | Comprising – | [three columns, first] Aunt Mavor's Alphabet. | Willie's Holiday. | Mother Bunch's Evening Party. | Uncle Hugh's Country House. | [second] The Cat's Tea Party. | Little Polly's Doll's House. | Victoria Alphabet. | Reynard the Fox. | [third] Charles Grey's Travels. | Mavor's Picture Gallery. | Mr. Fox and Miss Hare. | Old Cornish Woman. | [centre] With 162 Coloured Illustrations. | […] | In super royal 8vo, price 6s. cloth extra. | AUNT MAVOR'S BOOK OF NURSERY TALES. | Comprising – | [three columns, first] | Nursery Alphabet. | Tom Thumb. | Cinderella. | Three Bears. | Beauty and the Beast. | [second] Aladdin. | Babes in the Wood. | Jack the Giant Killer. | Dog's Dinner Party. | [third] Puss in Boots. | Hop o' my Thumb. | Butterfly's Ball. | Little Red Riding Hood. | [centre] With 116 large Coloured Illustrations. | […] | In super royal 8vo, price 3s. 6d. cloth extra. | AUNT MAVOR'S NURSERY TALES FOR BOYS. | Comprising – | [three columns, first] Tom Thumb. | Jack the Giant Killer. | [second] Puss in Boots. | Aladdin, or the Wonderful Lamp. | [third] The Dog's Dinner Party. | Hop o' my Thumb. | [centre] With 48 large Coloured Engravings. | In super royal 8vo, price 3s. 6d. cloth extra. | AUNT MAVOR'S NURSERY TALES FOR GIRLS. | Comprising – | [three columns, first] Nursery Alphabet (The). | The Three Bears. | [second] Babes in the Wood. | Cinderella. | [third] Beauty and the Beast. | The Butterfly's Ball. | [centre] And Little Red Riding Hood. | With 74 large Coloured Illustrations. | LONDON: GEORGE ROUTLEDGE & CO., FARRINGDON-STREET."; at foot, outside the frame: "Edmund Evans, Engraver and Printer, Raquet-court, Fleet-street."
[1856]: blue paper; described and reproduced (lower wrapper) in 2006 Masaki, I.396-97, II.B6; upper wrapper, not analysed; lower wrapper printed in black on blue paper, with publishers' advertisements, framed: "[fancy] Illustrated Juvenile Books, | PUBLISHED BY GEORGE ROUTLEDGE & CO., FARRINGDON STREET. | ROUTLEDGE'S EVERLASTING BOOKS, | [...] | ROUTLEDGE'S EVERLASTING PRIMER, | [...] | ROUTLEDGE'S EVERLASTING SIXPENNY PRIMERS, | [...] | ROUTLEDGE'S TWOPENNY CLOTH FIRST BOOKS, Illustrated. | [...] | ROUTLEDGE'S PENNY CLOTH FIRST BOOKS, Illustrated. | [...] | ROUTLEDGE'S PENNY CLOTH BATTLEDORES, Illustrated. | [...] | AUNT MAVOR'S TOY BOOKS FOR LITTLE READERS. | [three columns, each with a separate list of the series, 14, 13, 13 titles]"; only partially analysed
Variant B
[1856]: light pinkish paper; upper wrapper as pcb2479, on light pinkish paper; specific for this title, plain lettering: "[black] THE | [red outlined in black] HISTORY [black] OF [red outlined in black] OUR PETS."; 1856 lower wrapper printed in black on light pinkish paper, with publishers' advertisements, framed: "[fancy] Illustrated Juvenile Books, | PUBLISHED BY GEORGE ROUTLEDGE & CO., FARRINGDON-STREET. | In royal 8vo, price 3s. 6d. cloth extra. | AUNT MAVOR'S PRESENT FOR A GOOD LITTLE BOY. | Comprising – | [three columns, first] Aunt Mavor's Alphabet. | Willie's Holiday. | [second] Charles Grey's Travels. | Mr. Fox and Miss Hare. | [third] Mavor's Picture Gallery. | Reynard the Fox. | [at centre] With 88 Coloured Illustrations. | In royal 8vo, price 3s. 6d. cloth extra. | AUNT MAVOR'S PRESENT FOR A GOOD LITTLE GIRL. | Comprising – | [three columns, first] Victoria Alphabet. | Old Cornish Woman. | [second] The Cat's Tea Party. | Mother Bunch's Evening Party. | [third] Little Polly's Doll's House. | Uncle Hugh's Country House. | [at centre] With 74 Coloured Illustrations. | In super royal 8vo, price 6s. cloth extra, strongly bound. | AUNT MAVOR'S PRESENT FOR ALL GOOD BOYS AND GIRLS. | Comprising – | [three columns, first] Aunt Mavor's Alphabet. | Willie's Holiday. | Mother Bunch's Evening Party. | Uncle Hugh's Country House. | [second] The Cat's Tea Party. | Little Polly's Doll's House. | Victoria Alphabet. | Reynard the Fox. | [third] Charles Grey's Travels. | Mavor's Picture Gallery. | Mr. Fox and Miss Hare. | Old Cornish Woman. | [centre] With 162 Coloured Illustrations. | […] | In super royal 8vo, price 6s. cloth extra. | AUNT MAVOR'S BOOK OF NURSERY TALES. | Comprising – | [three columns, first] | Nursery Alphabet. | Tom Thumb. | Cinderella. | Three Bears. | Beauty and the Beast. | [second] Aladdin. | Babes in the Wood. | Jack the Giant Killer. | Dog's Dinner Party. | [third] Puss in Boots. | Hop o' my Thumb. | Butterfly's Ball. | Little Red Riding Hood. | [centre] With 116 large Coloured Illustrations. | […] | In super royal 8vo, price 3s. 6d. cloth extra. | AUNT MAVOR'S NURSERY TALES FOR BOYS. | Comprising – | [three columns, first] Tom Thumb. | Jack the Giant Killer. | [second] Puss in Boots. | Aladdin, or the Wonderful Lamp. | [third] The Dog's Dinner Party. | Hop o' my Thumb. | [centre] With 48 large Coloured Engravings. | In super royal 8vo, price 3s. 6d. cloth extra. | AUNT MAVOR'S NURSERY TALES FOR GIRLS. | Comprising – | [three columns, first] Nursery Alphabet (The). | The Three Bears. | [second] Babes in the Wood. | Cinderella. | [third] Beauty and the Beast. | The Butterfly's Ball. | [centre] And Little Red Riding Hood. | With 74 large Coloured Illustrations. | LONDON: GEORGE ROUTLEDGE & CO., FARRINGDON-STREET."; at foot, outside the frame: "Edmund Evans, Engraver and Printer, Raquet-court, Fleet-street."
BIBLIOGRAPHY
2006 Masaki, I.393 (see pcb2478), 396-98, II.B6 (Personal collection)
COPIES
NLS: Mas.437(4) (variant B: [1856]; largely inscribed and doodled; bound with other titles, fourth title)
TRADE COPIES
Private collection (Japan) (variant A: [1856]; described and reproduced (lower wrapper) in 2006 Masaki, I.396-97, II.B6; not analysed)
DRAWINGS, OBJECTS, DOCUMENTS
OTHER VERSIONS
PERMALINK
CITATION
Francesca Tancini, "The history of our pets". In PiCoBoo, accessed June 14, 2025, https://www.picoboo.eu/catalogue/pcb2482