One of the most popular poems of the 19th century, and reputedly a favorite of Queen Victoria, this work has fallen into relative obscurity. It went through countless editions, and this edition is notable for its many engravings. Thorpe wrote this verse in trochaic heptameter, which has a very classic and dramatic cadence. I have included the entire text of the poem below the last image.  I have scanned about 20 or 25 images in total from this book.  Some samples are shown below.  All of the images are available in this book's album in the Gallery. Title: Curfew Must Not Ring Tonight Author: Rosa Hartwick Thorpe Artist: F. T. Merrill and E. H. Garrett; Drawn and Engraved under the supervision of George T. Andrew Publisher: Lee and Shepard Date Published: 1882 Click an image to go directly to that picture's page in the gallery album. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="192" caption="Cover Detail. Close up of the bell, with its rope, clapper and a decorative edging. "][/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="147" caption="Frontispiece. The young woman Bessie dressed in fine clothes and jewels, bordered by cherubs and angels. "][/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="200" caption=""With its walls so tall and gloomy" The prison tower set against the darkening sky. "][/caption] [caption ...

Johnny Gruelle, of course, is the beloved creator of the Raggedy Ann dolls, and subsequently the Raggedy Ann and Andy series books.  He illustrated extensively prior to this, including classics such as Grimm’s Fairy Tales, and this book is a great example of his other work.   Many of his books are digitized at Project Gutenberg. "Rhymes for Kindly Children" is subtitled "Modern Mother Goose Jingles."  It is more blatantly geared toward teaching children proper manners, though, and even the titles reveal this end.  Children, of course, will not always embrace such obviousness, and perhaps this is why the rhymes themselves never became quite as popular as the traditional Mother Goose fare.   The illustrations are nice though, and especially of interest to any Gruelle fan. I have placed some representative images below, all linked to the GALLERY.  The full list is viewable there. Title: Rhymes for Kindly Children:  Modern Mother Goose Jingles Author: Ethel Fairmont Artist: Johnny Gruelle Publisher: P. F. Volland Company Date Published: 1916 Click a thumbnail to visit the gallery page for the image where it can be downloaded in many very high resolution sizes. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="130" caption="Albert's Pet Bunny "][/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="135" caption="Bird Friends"][/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="137" caption="Gathering Berries "][/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="135" ...

This is a scarce little book.  Full of many of the standard fairy tales from various sources, 19th century and earlier, it also boasts a wonderful collection of overlooked illustrations by the likes of Richter and Pletsch. Most books with Pletsch's work are in German, and I have not seen another copy of this particular work.  He was fairly prolific in the late 1800's.  Typically, books included four to ten full page color illustrations, with many smaller cuts distributed throughout the text.  This book is typical in this regard. Ludwig Richter was another prolific German illustrator, with archetypal period illustrations appearing in many children's books and fairy tales as well as other media.   He was influential in the use of woodcut illustrations at the time.  With this current book it is not always easy to tell who executed which illustration, nor the identities of the "other" referred to on the title page. While I have not seen this book other than the copy I have in hand, it is referenced in various ads from scanned books from the same publisher at Google Books, such as HERE. Title: Wonder-World:  A Collection Of Fairy Tales, Old and New Author: Translated from the French, German and Danish Artist: L. ...

It may seem rather monomaniacal to scan so many maps and battle plans, especially as they are not in and of themselves especially significant or noteworthy.  I like this old school atlas, though, and although they plates may be simplistic, I enjoy the quick overview of 1500 years of English history provided by the set as a whole. There is no text at all in this book other than a 2 page preface and a list of maps and plans.  The plates are printed single sided, so the quality is very good and there is no bleeding or show-through from other maps.  Flip through the pages, and you get a sense of the ebb and flow of English and British power and empire up until the end of the Victorian era. I have placed some representative images below, all linked to the GALLERY.  The full list is viewable there.   Complete title list is at bottom of this post. Title: A School Atlas of English History - A Companion Atlas to "The Student's History of England" Author: Samuel Rawson Gardiner, M.A., LL.D. Artist: unattributed Publisher: Longmans, Green, and CO. Date Published: 1892 Click a thumbnail to visit the gallery page for the image where it can be downloaded in ...

In 1838 and 1839, Roberts spent eleven months traveling and sketching throughout Egypt from Alexandria to Abu Simbel and through Sinai to Petra, Jerusalem, Palestine, and Lebanon. The 247 lithographs that Belgian engraver Louis Haghe then produced at the rate of one a month from the drawings executed during Roberts' trip were published in six volumes as "The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt and Nubia" (1842-1846) and "Egypt and Nubia" (1846-1849). While these are available elsewhere, they are not usually very large or in an easy to use format (or they cost money).  These are from the Library of Congress, which has them in unedited TIF files.  I have cropped them , edited them, cleaned up any glaring dirtiness, and converted them to JPEG for easy download in the GALLERY. Title: Egypt and Nubia Author: David Roberts Artist: David Roberts / lithographed by Louis Haghe Publisher: F.G. (Francis Graham) Moon Date Published: 1846-1849 Click an image to visit the gallery page where it is available in different sized for free download. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="200" caption="Dancing Girls at Cairo"][/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="200" caption="Mosque of Sultan Hassan from the Great Square of the Rumeyleh "][/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="200" caption="Cairo"][/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="134" caption="Tombs of the khalifs, Cairo"][/caption] [caption id="" ...

Woodroffe made these illustrations in the late 19th century.   The text is straight Shakespeare, selected and edited by Rhys.  The initial scans came through quite age toned.  It was difficult to correct, as some of the detail kept getting lost, so I have included both the raw scans as well as the edited versions in the GALLERY for this book. Woodroffe was a prolific illustrator of the period.  His work included a lot of Shakespeare, Bible stories, children's books, and the like. I have put the accompanying text with some of the illustrations. The book, including lower resolution scans of these pictures, is fully digitzed HERE. Title: Songs from the Plays of Shakespeare Author: William Shakespeare, Ernest Rhys (editor) Illustrator: Paul Woodroffe Publisher: The Guild of Women-Binders Date Published: 1901 The Images below all link to the gallery where they are available for free download in many high resolution sizes of JPEG files. YOU spotted snakes, with double tongue, Thorny hedgehogs, be not seen; Newts and blind-worms do no wrong, Come not near our fairy Queen! Weaving spiders, come not here; Hence, you long-legg'd spinners, hence! Beetles black, approach not near; Worm nor snail, do no offence. Philomel, with melody Sing in our sweet lullaby; Lulla, lulla, lullaby, Lulla, lulla, lullaby: Never harm Nor spell nor charm Come our lovely lady nigh: So, ...

Walter Crane was one of the most popular and prolific children's book illustrators in the late 19th century.  His style should be recognizable to almost everyone, whether they know his name or not, and his books have been mainstays for families for generations. His illustrations here make a nice contrast to those of Virginia Frances Sterrett, who illustrated Hawthornes' other children's book derived from Greek mythology.  I have scanned and posted those images, from Tanglewood Tales, as well. These images have been edited and enhanced to bring out the colors and remove some of the age toning.  The complete text as well as full page, unedited scans, are available at the Library of Congress web site, HERE. Title: A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne Illustrator: Walter Crane Publisher: Houghton, Mifflin Date Published: 1892 The Images below all link to the gallery where they are available for free download in many high resolution sizes of JPEG files. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="135" caption="Perseus & The Graiae"][/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="135" caption="Perseus Armed by the Nymphs"][/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="135" caption="Perseus & The Gorgons"][/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="135" caption="Perseus Showing The Gorgons Head"][/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="135" caption="The Stranger Appearing to Midas"][/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="135" caption="The Stranger Appearing to Midas"][/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" ...

Friendship's Offering was an annual anthology that appeared for at least a few decades in the mid 19th century, starting in the early 1820's.   Regular contributors and editors over the years included Mary Shelley, M. A. Browne, Mary Roberts, Alicia Jane Sparrow, Grace Aguilar and others who wrote either under their own name or anonymously.   Often, instead of by name authors were identified as "Author of 'Reveries of the Sanctum'" or some other piece. At some point, John Sartain started contributing illustrations, often engravings of famous works by classical artists (sculptors, painters, etc.).  Sartain was a pioneer of American engraving, influencing almost all who came after him.  He introduced the use of mezzotints in America, and I am fairly sure the engravings in this book are in that style.  If not, they are closely related. Some editions are available, complete with low quality Sartain plates, at Google Books. The 1852 edition is HERE.  The 1855 edition HERE. Title:  Friendship's Offering, A Christmas, New Year, and Birthday Present for MDCCCXLVIII Author:  Miss M. A. Browne, Mrs. Abdy, Calder Campbell, Esq., Anonymous, Miss Louisa H. Sheridan, N. Michell, Esq., Miss M. G. Wells, Lord Morpeth, E. Scaife, THe Hon. Charles Phipps, Fay Robinson, Mrs. Sutton. Artist: ...

Knights of the Round Table, Medieval Chivalry, Errant Warriors, Castles, Magic and Sorcery. Pyle offered one of the classic tellings of Arthurian lore and legends, profusely illustrating this and others of his own books. Pyle (1853-1911) also wrote and illustrated classic retellings of other Arthurian tales as well as Robin Hood. He also authored original stories which he illustrated, along with many other titles such as He was perhaps one of the most influential children's book illustrators, influencing such artists as N.C. Wyeth, Frank Schoonover and others. The Brandywine River Museum in Pennsylvania, just north of Wilmington, DE has a very good collection of Pyle's work along with those he influenced. Title: The Story of King Arthur and His Knights Author: Howard Pyle Artist: Howard Pyle Publisher: Charles Scribner's Sons Date Published: 1903 Below are some representative image of the found in the Gallery. Each image is linked to a page where it may be downloaded in various sized high resolution formats. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="177" caption="King Arthur of Britain"][/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="200" caption="Herald"][/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="200" caption="Angel"][/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="178" caption=" Uther-Pendragon"][/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="200" caption=" Herald"][/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="177" caption="Sir Kay breaketh his sword at ye Tournament."][/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="200" caption="Two ...

Maps? On a site about Old Book Art? Well, yes. Many maps, after all, even those you see framed and sold singly, have been removed from old atlases (either recently or hundreds of years ago). I have quite a few pre-1923 atlases and I have scanned a few of the smaller ones. (Those large folio, double folio and elephant folio atlases cannot be effectively scanned using the equipment I have.) I also own and have high quality images of hundreds of other old maps. Anyway, yes. My own appreciation of old books and their beauty started with atlases, and maps have been something I collect, albeit in a small amateurish manner, for almost my entire life. So, as I did not want to start a whole new website just for the maps that did not happen to be in an atlas, I thought I would add this category for both atlases as well as maps not from atlases. Some of the images are from other websites such as the Library of Congress. At first I was only going to post my own maps and scans, but upon consideration I decided to post others as well. There are ...

This was the first map I ever scanned and posted. It is one of f the first maps I ever acquired, sometime in the 1970's if I recall correctly. I forget what I paid for it, but it was not too expensive, and you can still pick up maps such as this for a fairly reasonable price. Again, my popular lament applies to maps such as this: why is it so hard to find good quality, high resolution images for free on the internet? Small maps such as this are easy to scan, and most are very well preserved even if they were removed from their atlases and separated for sale 200 years ago. I have often thought the answer must be some sort of proprietary selfishness. That does not make a huge amount of sense to me, although I do understand it. I have sold plenty of maps, and I do not think that people who are seeking an original will be deterred from paying if they can have a free facsimile instead. Collectors are collectors and want the real thing. Other people will probably not pay for an original anyway. Additionally, maps are such a great historic and artistic ...

Lloyd's Natural History, published in the late 19th century, had many volumes, covering almost the entire animal kingdom. The species described are quite comprehensive, and the 32 plates represent only a small part of the information in the volume. Most volumes had 30 or more color plates, about 5 by 7 inches. As with other Lloyd titles, this book can be found, usually for under $200. The plates being intact make it desirable. Title: Lloyd's Natural History. A Hand-Book to the Carnivora. Part I. Cats, Civets, and Mungooses Author: Richard Lydekker, B.A, F.R.S., Vice-President of the Geological Society, etc.,etc.,etc. Artist: Various. Publisher: Edward Lloyd Date Published: 1896 [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="200" caption="Lion, Felis leo"][/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="200" caption="Lioness and Cubs, Felis leo"][/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="200" caption="Lion-Tiger, Felis leo (hybrid)"][/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="200" caption="Tiger, Felis tigris"][/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="200" caption=""Tiger and Cubs""][/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="200" caption="Leopard, or Panther, Felis pardus"][/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="200" caption="Ounce (Snow Leopard), Felis uncia"][/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="200" caption="Jaguar, Felis onca"][/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="200" caption="Puma, Felis concolor"][/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="200" caption="Clouded Leopard, Felis nebulosa"][/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="200" caption="Marbled Cat, Felis marmorata"][/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="200" caption="Fishing Cat, Felis viverrina"][/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="200" caption="Leopard-Cat, Felis bengalensis"][/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="200" caption="Leopard-Cat (Javan Variety), Felis javanensis"][/caption] [caption id="" ...

Joel Tyler Headley is remembered in the annals of Adirondack history, and by book collectors and aficionados, as one of the first writers, if not the first, to draw true, widespread attention to the region. The Adirondack; or Life in the Woods, written after a pair of trips north in the 1840’s, sold well and promoted interest in the Adirondacks as an unspoiled wilderness and a potential health and recreational retreat. Headley’s long career, though, was hardly defined by the book. He went on to work in the New York City newspaper business, he was elected to the assembly, and he served as New York’s Secretary of State for a brief term. His trips, enforced vacations taken soon after his ordination as a Presbyterian minister, were dictated by what was apparently over-work, a mental breakdown, or some similar situation. In his words, an “attack on the brain first drove me from the haunts of men to seek mental repose and physical strength in the woods.” Whatever the reason, the book is seminal. He paints the mountains and the journey in the light of similar European tours historically taken to the Scottish Highlands or the Alps, and helps set the tone ...

Evelyn Paul lived in the late 19th and the early 20th century and worked to beautifully illuminate and illustrate many books. Many had art with Christian themes such as this, but her work was much broader as well. Most if not all of her work was done in the first quarter of the 20th century. Many people feel that she did her best work for the books (such as La Vita Nuova) put out by Harrap. Because the text is available elsewhere, I have not scanned or included that much here. The complete texts and illustrations of this as well as some of the other manuscripts she illuminated are available (off this site) CLICK HERE. I have included two versions of most images. The paper and colors were fairly age toned, so I removed some of this. I tried to fix any color distortion or brightness issues, but I cannot say how well teh touched up images reflect the original state of the illustrations. The only copies I have seen have been similarly ages. Some images, such as the angel from page 115, I have posted in a few versions to reflect the colors brought ...

Tenniel's drawing are the classic images many of us associate with both Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Reproduced here are 50 images. I apologize that some are a bit dirty. I have cleaned them up as well as reasonably possible, and will replace them if and when I get another, less aged, early edition. I also seem to have misplaced the text that went with each image, so for now they are untitled with anything other than the image number I gave them when I scanned them. I am creating this post now though as I have no idea when I will get to the captions and descriptions. To see or download the full text of the book (off this site and without illustrations) at Project Gutenberg CLICK HERE. Title: Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There Author: Lewis Carroll Artist: John Tenniel Publisher: Henry Altemus Date Published: 1897 All 50 images are in the GALLERY for this title and ready to be downloaded. Here are some samples, each of which leads to the image page for that picture.