"Old Story Books! Old Story Books!
we owe ye much old friends,
Bright coloured threads in memory's wrap,
of which Death holds the ends,
Who can forget ye? Who can spurn the ministers of joy
That waited on the lisping girl and petticoated boy?
Talk of your vellum, gold emboss'd morocco, roan, and calf,
The blue and yellow wraps of old were prettier by half."
--Eliza Cook's Poems.
In 1708 John White, a Citizen of York, established himself as a printer
in Newcastle-on-Tyne, bringing with him a stock of quaint old cuts,
formerly his father's, at York, where he was Sole Printer to King
William, for the five Northern Counties of England. He entered into
partnership with Thomas Saint, who on the death of John White, at their
Printing Office in Pilgrim Street, succeeded in 1796 to his extensive
business as Printer, Bookseller, and Publisher. In this stock of
woodcuts were some of the veritable pieces of wood engraved, or cut for
Caxton, Wynken de Worde, Pynson, and others down to Tommy Gent--the
curious genius, historian, author, poet, woodcuter and engraver, binder
and printer, of York. We give some early examples out of this stock.
Thomas Saint, about 1770, had the honour of introducing to the public,
the brothers Thomas and John Bewick's first efforts in wood-engravings,
early and crude as they undoubtedly were. They are to be found in Hutton
"On Mensuration," and also in various children's and juvenile works,
such as Æsop's and Gay's Fables. We give some of the earliest known of
their work in this very interesting collection of woodcuts.
Some years ago a collection was formed of Newbury and Marshall's
Children's Gift Toy Books, and early educational works, which were
placed in the South Kensington Museum, in several glass cases. These
attracted other collections of rare little volumes, adorned with similar
cuts, many of which are from the identical blocks here impressed,
notably the "Cries of York," "Goody Two Shoes," etc. They are still on
view, near the George Cruikshank collection, and during the twenty years
they have been exhibited, such literature has steadily gone up to fancy
prices.
Charles Knight in his Shadows of the Old Booksellers, says of Newbury,
(pp. 233), "This old bookseller is a very old friend of mine. He wound
himself round my heart some seventy years ago, when I became possessed
of an immortal volume, entitled the history of 'Little Goody Shoes.'
I felt myself personally honoured in the dedication." He then refers to
Dr. Primrose, Thomas Trip, etc., and adds further on, "my father had a
drawer full of them [Newbury's little books] very smartly bound in gilt
paper." Priceless now would this collection be, mixed up with
horn-books--a single copy of which is one of the rarest relics of the
olden time.
Chalmer's in his preface to "Idler," regards Mr. Newbury as the reputed
author of many little chap books for masters and misses.
Mr. John Nichols brings forward other candidates for the honour of
projecting and writing the "Lilliputian histories, of Goody Two Shoes,
etc.;" and refers to Griffith Jones and Giles Jones, in conjunction with
Mr. John Newbury, as those to whom the public are indebted for the
origin of those numerous and popular little books for the amusement and
instruction of children, which have ever since been received with
universal approbation.
The following are two of the identical cuts engraved by John Bewick, and
used in the Newbury editions of Goody Two Shoes, London, 1769 to 1771.
[Illustrations: 2_1, 2_2]
It will be seen on contrasting these cuts with the other two, on the
following page, from early York editions, how wonderfully even in his
early years Bewick improved the illustrated juvenile literature of his
day. No wonder when Goldsmith the poet had an interview with Bewick,
that delighted with his cuts, he confessed to writing Goody Two Shoes,
Tommy Trip, etc. Bewick's daughter supplied this information.
[Illustrations: 3_1 - 3_3
_Early cuts to Goody Two Shoes._
_Bewick's frontispiece to Goody Two Shoes._]
Here are two early examples of Thomas Bewick. They were used in a York
edition of "A Pretty Book of Pictures for little Masters and Misses,
or History of Beasts and Birds by Tommy Trip," etc.
[Illustrations: 4_1, 4_2
_Miss Polly Riding in a Coach, from Tommy Trip._
_The Student, from Tommy Trip._]
There was an American edition of Goody Two Shoes, and is very
interesting indeed, having a woodcut frontispiece engraved by Thomas
Bewick, and was printed at Worcester, Mass., U.S.A., by Isaiah Thomas,
and sold wholesale and retail at his book-store, 1787. A copy of this
little book sold in London for £1 16s.
We also give two other specimens from the J. Newbery editions of Tommy
Trip and Goody Two Shoes, both engraved by John Bewick.
[Illustrations: 4_3, 4_4
_The Student, from Tommy Trip._
_Margery, from Goody Two Shoes._]
The packmen of the past [see frontispiece of a pack-horse in First
Edition only of Bewick's Quadrupeds, 1790] carried in their packs the
ephemeral literature of the day, Calendars, Almanacks, and Chep-Books.
The Leicestershire pronunciation to this day at markets is "Buy Chep"
for Cheap, hence the Chep-side, or Cheape-or Cheapside; otherwise
derivation of Chap Men, or Running, Flying, and other mercurial
stationers, peripatetic booksellers, pedlers, packmen, and again
chepmen, these visited the villages and small towns from the large
printers of the supply towns, as London, Banbury, Newcastle, Edinburgh,
Glasgow, etc. The "History of John Cheap, the Chapman," "Parley the
Porter," "Stephen of Salisbury Plain," and other favourite tracts, with
John Bewick's and Lee's square woodcuts were written by the quaker lady,
Hannah More, about 1777, and were first published in broadsheet folio.
Some were done by Hazzard, of Bath, others by Marshall, of Bow Lane,
Aldermary Church Yard. A most curious collection of chap books did they
print, reviving the quaint old "Blind Beggar of Bethnal Green," "Guy,
Earl of Warwick," "Seven Champions," "Mother Shipton's Life and
Prophecies," "Wise Men of Gothan," "Adam Bell," "Robin Hood's Garland,"
"Jane Shore," "Joaks upon Joaks," "Strapho, or Roger the Clown,"
"Whetstone for dull Wits," "St. George and the Dragon," "Jack Horner:"
and hundreds of ballads, garlands, carols, broadsheets, songs, etc.,
were in the collection.
The "Great A and bouncing B Toy Book Factory," was somewhere near Little
Britain, the proprietor being John Marshall, who published the famous
"Life of a Fly."
[Illustration: 5_1
_Block by Thomas Bewick._]
The "Memoirs of a Peg Top," "Perambulations of a Mouse," 2 volumes with
cuts by John Bewick, and a number of other works, some by Mrs. Trimmer,
under various pseudonyms, were published in Bow Lane, also many quaint
broadsheets, the cuts of which are in this volume.
Hazzard, printer of Bath, who published many works for Dr. J. Trusler,
with woodcuts by John Bewick, Lee, and others, also published the cheap
repository tracts.
All the following little wood blocks were used in several toy books,
sometimes with Bewick's name on the titles, and done from 1787 to 1814,
in Dutch flowery and gingerbread gilt paper binding, just like Newbery
series.
Early John Bewick Cuts.
[Illustrations: 6_1 - 6_6
_Tommy Two Shoes._
_Robin Hood and Little John, pub. Wilson and Spence, York._
_York Story Books, by Wilson and Spence, circa 1797._
_Used in the Fables._
_Used in the Fables_]
[Illustrations: 7_1 - 7_5
_Cut by Lee, on the covers of Rusher's Penny "Banbury's."_
_Two Blocks from Valentine's Gift. 1797._
_Used by Wilson and Spence, York._
_Patty Primrose._]
[Illustrations: 8_1 - 8_6
_From Primrose Prettyface and her Scholars._
_Two Ballad Cuts, by Green, of Knaresborough._
_Mrs. Winlove's Rise of Learning._
_The Concert of Birds, from Tommy Tag._]
[Illustrations: 9_1, 9_2
_Frontispiece to Tommy Playlove and Joseph Lovebook._
_Whitfield's Tabernacle, Moorfields, or Spa Fields Chapel. (?)_]
In Blade's Life of Caxton, the reader will find interesting examples of
the earliest woodcut blocks illustrating the quaint and rare tomes
issued by the Almonry, Westminster, also at Oxford. The Robin Hood
Garland blocks (circa 1680 or earlier), is one of the earliest
provincial blocks with a distinct history. We can trace them in varied
collections used by early London and Provincial printers, and in the
London Bridge printed Chap Book Literature.
Sutton, printer of Nottingham, issued a curious quarto volume of old
woodcuts. He was descended from the celebrated T. Sutton, who founded
the Charterhouse. Some twenty-five years ago I went over the very quaint
collection with the proprietor, and suggested a volume being issued, but
the idea had already been matured by him.
Robert White, the poet and local historian of Newcastle upon Tyne--by
whose favour I reprinted Tommy Trip in 1867--has one of the choicest,
most comprehensive, and rarest libraries of local stories, garlands,
ballads, and chap books, and North country folk-lore children's books,
almanacks, primers, "A. B. C.," horn books, battledores, etc., that were
ever gathered together. I am glad to place on record, that by his will,
his collection will remain intact. The special opportunities afforded
him at the time for collecting them have entirely passed away.
I believe he was descended from John White, printer for the five
northern counties of England to King William. This is referred to by Mr.
Dodd in his preface to a quarto volume of woodcut impressions. William
Dodd fully appreciated the local interest, by producing a limited
impression of the quaint blocks in his possession.
The Rev. Mr. Hugo had a very large and important collection of blocks
and books, and at his death I arranged and catalogued them for Messrs.
Sotheby, according to the wish of his widow. The Rev. gentleman had
wished his collection to be purchased by the trustees of the British
Museum, but some little hitch occurred and this was not accomplished.
In his collection the Robin Hood block, perforated with worm holes,
realized quite a fancy price.
Among the relics of ancient woodcutting, are some so early and crude in
their execution--quaint as the period they illustrate--as to really
entitle them to the literal name and meaning of _woodcuts_, rather than
wood-engravings, which they really became in the hands of the two
Bewicks and their numerous school of pupils. Other provincial publishers
were not so favoured as those at Newcastle-on-Tyne, as to have a Bewick
trying his prentice hand on similar series, as used by J. Bell and
others.
The Cock Robin blocks in this collection are certainly the earliest
series I have seen among the thousands I have examined. The York Cries,
Tom Hickethrift, Jack the Giant Killer, and many kindred cuts, are
evidently from the collection of John White, the early printer, and are
as quaint, as funny and droll in crudity of execution, as any of Thomas
Gent's, the unique York engraver and bookseller.
The rarity and interest of a collection like the present, with their
varied associations, may be fairly estimated when we consider that the
country printers in those days were not particular in making the same
woodcut do duty in most incongrous and inapplicable positions and
subjects.
We have met with a block in a child's book, then the identical woodcut
on a ballad, catchpenny, or last dying speech and confession, setting at
defiance any suitability of illustration, or adaptability to the text
matter. Of course now, some of these examples are exceedingly ludicrous,
and do not fail to excite merriment, and often add to the intrinsic
value of the article, as may be judged by numerous examples that have
occurred in our literary auction marts during the last half century.
Besides it must be taken fair notice of that a genuine wood-engraving,
or woodcut block may soon become a curiosity of the past, owing to the
improved methods of illustrating children's books. Many of Bewick's
blocks are veritable paintings on boxwood, and are as much classical
works of art as work by Josiah Wedgwood, and his able coadjutor,
J. Flaxman are in Fine Art. These early crude, quaint, droll little
pioneer wood blocks will ever remain of great and even historical
interest as showing the progress and influence on the illustrated
literature of the civilized world.
Many of our readers have heard of Banbury Cross and Banbury cakes, and
other famous juvenile associations, as the lady with bells on her toes,
but it was also connected with the production of books for juvenile
readers. A great portion of the blocks in this volume are Banbury blocks
used for illustrating the toy books, children's histories, etc., for
which this quaint old Oxfordshire town was famous. Many of them are
connected with the early printing and engraving carried on in this and
other towns of England. A quantity of the blocks were used in the books
printed by John White of York, who established himself, as before
mentioned, as a printer in Newcastle-on-Tyne, bringing with him a stock
of quaint old blocks formerly his father's [at York], where he was sole
printer to King William, for the five northern counties of England.
Boswell has recorded several conversations of Oliver Goldsmith with Dr.
Johnson, in which the warm-hearted poet expressed a wish, "to make
fishes, animals, birds, etc., _talk_, or appear so to do, for the
amusement and instruction of children." In the National Collection is
"The Valentine's Gift, or a Plan to enable children of all sizes and
denomination to behave with honour, integrity, and humanity, very
necessary to a trading nation: to which is added some account of Old
Zigzag, and of the Horn with which he used to understand the language of
birds, beasts, fishes and insects," etc., "Printed for Francis Power,
(grandson to the late Mr. J. Newbery) and Co., No. 65, St. Paul's
Churchyard, 1790, price sixpence, bound in gilt dutch paper binding, 105
and iii pages".
Numerous books were sold by Francis Power, No. 65, _near the Bar_, in
St. Paul's Churchyard, London; his list comprises "Giles Gingerbread,"
"Tom Thumb's Folio," "The London Cries, taken from the Life," "The
Lilliputian Auction," by Charley Chatter, "Nurse Truelove's Christmas
Box," "New Year's Gift," "The History of Little Goody Two Shoes," new
edition, "Adventures of a Bee," "The Little Lottery Book," "A Pretty
Plaything for Children," "The Lilliputian Magazine," "The Picture
Exhibition," "Lilliputian Masquerade," "Juvenile Trials for Robbing
Orchards and Telling Fibs," "Pretty Poems by Tommy Tagg, for children
three feet high," "A Pretty Book of Pictures, or Tommy Tripp's History,"
"The Drawing School by Master Angelo," "Poetical Flower Garden," "Tommy
Trapwit's Be Merry and Wise," "Lecture upon Toys," 2 vols; "Pretty Poems
for children six feet high," "The Museum," "Polite Academy," "Poetical
Flower Basket," "Mother Goose's Fairy Tales," "A Spelling Dictionary,
Rhetoric; Logic; Arithmetic; History; Chronology; Geography;" "Vicar of
Wakefield." Most of the latter except "Vicar" formed a circle of the
sciences licensed by approval of the King, each dedicated to a youthful
nobleman, by "John Newbery." The size was "snuffbox," or waistcoat
pocket (capacious in 1790, see "School for Scandal," etc., Costume,
etc.) Documentary evidence and receipts in Goldsmith's handwriting,
acknowledging various sums for writing the "Rhetorick," and others of
the above exist. Goldsmith also did numerous Abridgements of the Old and
New Testaments, Robinson Crusoe, Pamela, Clarissa Harlow, Sir Chas.
Grandison, all in this juvenile series for J. Newbery.
[Illustration: 12_1
_The Spider, from Bunyan's Divine Emblems._]
This was a most popular juvenile brochure, at end of eighteenth century.
The early editions of J. Bunyan's Works, 2 vols, folio, had the Divine
Emblems at end of vol 2, with quaint old woodcuts. These were
industriously copied in reduced sizes, and published from 1d. to 6d., by
various London and Provincial "toy book" manufacturers. The above is a
solitary representative of the illustrations of one of these rare
editions of "Bunyan."
[Illustrations: 12_2, 12_3
_From Evans's Cock Robin._
_Frontispiece to Farthing Cinderella._]
[Illustrations: 13_1, 13_2
_Tobacco Paper Cut and Tavern Sign._
_Very Early Ballad, D----l cut, etc._]
John Evans, 42, Long Lane, West Smithfield, circa 1791, brought out some
singular little farthing children's books, printed on coarse sugar
paper, also ballads, single-sheet songs, and "patters." One, "The
tragical death of an Apple Pye, cut in pieces and eat, by twenty-five
gentlemen, with whom all little people ought to be very well
acquainted."
J. Drewey, Irongate, Derby, brought out some entertaining fables,
in which the following woodcuts were used again.
_Blocks used in Red Riding Hood._
[Illustrations: 14_1 - 14_6]
_Blocks used in "Jack and the Giants" and "Tom, Tom, the Piper's son,"
etc. From John White's stock, at York._
[Illustrations: 15_1 - 15_15]
_Cuts used for "Tom, Tom, the Piper's Son," etc._
[Illustrations: 16_1 - 16_6]
_Cuts to "Whittington and his Cat."_
[Illustrations: 16_7 - 16_10]
John Evans issued "Cock Robin, a pretty gilded toy for either girl or
boy," in which the early cut on page 12 was used. This rare edition has
the following comical variation from the orthodox version:
"Little Robin Redbreast sat upon a pole,
Wiggle-waggle went its tail, and p--p went its hole."
_Very Early Cock Robin Set, from John White's York Stock._
[Illustrations: 17_1 - 17_10]
That quaint divine Dean Swift of St. Patricks, Dublin, edited some
curious poetry for "A Royal Primer," sqr. 32mo, published in the Seven
Dials, of Dublin ("Rainbow Court").
"Ech, ech, my dear'y, and
Ach, ach, my love.
"There was a little man who had a little gun, and
"There was a little maid who was very much afraid
To get wed, wed, wed," etc.
This is long and curious, and was greatly altered and abreviated in
early 19th Century Editions.
_"The Royal Primer," from John White's York and Newcastle Stock._
[Illustrations: 18_1 - 18_12]
_From Dean Swift's Royal Primer, Dublin, circa 1770._
[Illustrations: 19_1 - 19_7]
_From Evans's edition of Cinderella._
[Illustrations: 19_8 - 19_11]
_Very Early "Cock Robin" Series, "Postboy" by Bewick for a Newcastle
Newspaper, "Wife Joan," etc., from J. White's Stock._
[Illustrations: 20_1 - 20_15]
_Early "Mother Hubbard:" J. Evans, Long Lane, circa 1770._
[Illustrations: 21_1 - 21_10]
_Early "Goody Two Shoes," "Jack and Jill," "Cock Robin," The Fables,
early Bewick School._
[Illustrations: 22_1 - 22_14]
_All Evans's style of woodcut, Catnach, etc., all used at Rushers
Banbury Press._
[Illustrations: 23_1 - 23_11
_Babes in the Wood._
_Blue Beard._]
Providing ourselves with a variety of pens and ink, we select two of the
best and proceed to describe the Banbury Printer's old stock of cuts.
Banbury, Oxfordshire, was one of the chief provincial towns noted for
its Children's Books, Chap Books, Battledoes, Reading Easies, etc., also
for locally printed works, notably for two, viz., Dr. Johnson's
_Rasselas_, and White and Beesley's workon _Bees_, thin 12mo volumes,
boards, printed in a curious phonetic character, called "Rusher's
Types." Rusher, printer of this town, had some ingenuity and originality
of his own, and was not such a plagiarist and imitator as some of his
contemporaries. Many of the tales he cleverly adapted to the locality,
which have become very valuable. His edition of the Rasselas realized £5
5s. This book was written by Johnson in a week to defray his mother's
funeral expenses.
We give several extracts from some of Rusher's Penny Books which will
show how well he adapted them to his town.
[Illustrations: 24_1 - 24_4]
_[Early John Bewick,] Rusher's Lilliputian Library, Banbury,
circa. 1810._
At Rusher's fam'd Warehouse,
Books, Pictures and Toys
Are selling to please all
The good girls and boys.
For youth of all ages
There's plenty in store,
Amusement, instruction,
For rich and the poor.
_From the New House that Jack Built._
See Jack in his study,
Is writting a book,
As pretty as this is
In which you may look;
The price is one penny,
For girls or for boys,
There's more too at Rusher's,
And Pictures and Toys.
_Poetic Trifles._
Sing see-saw, Jack thatching the ridge,
Which is the way to Banbury-bridge?
One foot up and t'other foot down,
And that's the way to Banbury town.
As I was going to Banbury
Upon a summer's day,
My dame had butter, eggs and fruit,
And I had corn and hay,
Joe drove the ox and Tom the swine,
Dick took the foal and mare:
I sold them all--then home to dine
From famous Banbury Fair.
Here's something new
Dear child for you,
I will please you in a trice
A halfp'ny chuse,
Now don't refuse,
A penny is the price.
Tho' basely born
Pray do not scorn
A Tale no worse than many
For I'm afraid
More say in trade,
A halfp'ny's made a penny.
Good things to engross,
Near Banbury cross
Where Tommy shall go on the nag,
He makes no mistake,
Buy a Banbury Cake,
Books, Pictures, and Banbury Shag.
Little Robin Redbreast
Sat upon a tree
He sang merrily
As merrily could be.
He nodded with his head
And his tail waggled he
As little Robin Redbreast
Sat upon a tree.
Now each lad and each lass
Both sister and brother
May have books for each class
For Father or Mother.
And when with much pleasure
You've read them all o'er,
Then hasten to Rusher's,
He's printing some more.
Where each daughter and son
And each nephew and niece,
Each good child may have one,
For a penny a piece.