CHAPBOOKS            
A-J   •   K-Z

Half-a-Dozen Songs & a NICE CUT

Click the image for an enlargement.

•  Includes“The Land o' the Leal,” “Despairing Mary,” “The Thorn,” “Sleeping Maggie,” “Fair Helen,” and “Hal the Woodman” along with the title piece. The woodcut title-page vignette shows a bird saying “Amen,” with “[No.] 22" printed at the foot of the title.

•  NSTC 2D10766.   Removed from a nonce volume. Pages slightly age-toned, with edges untrimmed and lower outer corner of title-page torn away, else clean.  (17478)

Bide ye yet.  In winter when the rain rain'd cauld.  Variety is charming.  How stands the glass around.  O Jeanie there's naething to fear ye. Glasgow [Scotland]: Printed for the Booksellers, [18--]. 12mo. 8 pp.
$85.00

Click the image for an enlargement.

•  Woodcut title decoration and a woodcut headpiece.

•  Original self wrappers [unbound; removed]. There are small pieces out of the lower half of the front edge of the title. Very good.  (17406)

  Bonnie baby Livingstone; To which is added The Twa martyrs' widows. Glasgow [Scotland]: Printed for the Booksellers, [ca. 1840]. 12mo, 8 pages.
$75.00

Click the image for an enlargement.

•  Title woodcut vignette of a young woman holding a rose while a young man with his arm around her shoulder holds her other hand. “[No.] 78" is printed at the foot of the title.

WorldCat locates only eight copies worldwide.

•    Original self wrappers (unbound; removed). Very good.  (17407)

Some Songs inDIALECT — Some — Not

Click the image for an enlargement.

•  Song lyrics, with a woodcut title vignette of a figure seated in a chair with two small children. Macnie was active between 1820 and 1830.

•  NSTC 2B57765. Removed from a nonce volume. The front edges of the title and verso are darkened, else very good. (16759)

Who's Happier?

Click the image for an enlargement.

•  Dialogue in verse. Imprint derived from colophon.

Not listed in OCLC.

•  Uncut. Folded as issued; never sewn. Soiling around margins. Good ++ copy. (8527)

A Crusoe Chapbook

Click the images for enlargements.

•  A penny toybook rendition of the classic tale, illustrated with five in-text wood engravings and a front cover vignette of a ship, rather crudely but vigorously executed. The book is preceded by an alphabet reader in roman and italic letters.

Robinson Crusoe of York printed in York!

•  Publisher's printed yellow paper wrappers, removed from a nonce volume with stab holes visible but not weakening anything; very slight dust-soiling to outer margins of wrappers. Pages gently age-toned, otherwise clean. Unusually crisp and clean for this type of juvenile item.  (31907)

  Fifty years shepherd, and fifty a king.  The King and west countryman.  The Bundle of wants. Glasgow [Scotland] : Printed for the Booksellers , [18--]. 12mo. 8 pp.
$125.00

Click the image for an enlargement.

•  Title woodcut vignette of a man in a broad-brimmed hat reclining on a rock. In the first of these three poems, a Scottish Shepherd compares himself and his sheep to King George of England and his subjects on the occasion of the King's Jubilee. “[No.] 24" printed at foot of title.

RLIN locates only the Minnesota copy.  

•  Very good. Original self wrappers (unbound; removed).  (17416)

EXCELLENCE is Good . . .

•  Title woodcut vignette of a man reclining on a rock and holding a bowl of fruit or possibly a bird's nest with eggs in it. “[No.] 25" printed at foot of title. Click the image for an enlargement.

Not found in RLIN.

•  Good. Original self wrappers (disbound; removed).  (17417)

Five “favorites” . . .

Click the image for an enlargement.

•  Title woodcut vignette of young woman in a bonnet leaning against a gate. “[No.] 43" printed at foot of title.

•  Original self wrappers (unbound; removed). Very good.  (17419)

Five OTHER “favorites” . . .

Click the image for an enlargement.

•  Title woodcut vignette of a man sharpening a scythe, which is balanced on his shoulder. “[No.] 15" printed at the foot of title.

Not located in RLIN.  

•  Original self wrappers (unbound; removed). There is a small area of light staining to 2 pages, else very good.  (17420)

Scots Dialect Verse

Forbes, William. 

•  Woodcut title vignette of a woman sitting with a basket on her lap. Includes the comic verse tale “The Dominie Deposed” with the sequel [20-1/2pages], followed by “Maggy Johnston's Elegy” [3 pages]. Click the image for an enlargement.

“[No.] 141" is printed at the foot of the title.

•  The page edges are darkened. Very good. original self wrappers [unbound; removed].  (17568)

Jack's the Lad . . .

Click the image for an enlargement.

•  Uncommon Scots ballads. On cover a woodcut vignette of a young woman carrying a basket and holding a fishing net over her shoulder. “[No.] 62" is printed at the foot of the title.

Not in NSTC.

•  Removed from a nonce volume. Pages age-toned, else clean and crisp.  (16776)

One Could Collect CHAPBOOKS
    Featuring GHOSTS . . .

•  Scarce. The title-page bears a woodcut vignette of a girl in a bonnet carrying two pails slung from a hoop round her knees, with "[No.] 10" printed below. In "William and Margaret" [3 pages], Margaret's ghost appears to the young man who betrayed her. He throws himelf on her grave and never speaks again.

•  NSTC 2S31074. Removed from a nonce volume. Clean save for some smudging to outer margin of one page. (16760)

For a dash of the OCCULT,  click here.
For MUSIC (& DANCE),  click here.

AGreat Series of Song Titles . . .

•  The title-page promises“The Cork Leg and Steam Arm. / The Great Sea Snake. / The Sailor's Consolation. / The Wonderful Nose” — a woodcut vignette shows a young man dancing with one arm raised and “[No.] 28” printed at the foot.

Not in NSTC.

•  Removed from a nonce volume. Pages age-toned, otherwise clean.(16763)

Women . . .

Click the image for an enlargement.

•  Woodcut title vignette of a man in a bonnet, kilt & sporran seated on a stool, playing bagpipes.

•  Original self wrappers [unbound; removed].The pages are darkened & the top two inches of the leaves are detached. The last leaf is closely cropped along the top edge. Good.  (17436)

For more of WOMEN's interest, 
click here.

BALLADS

Click the image for an enlargement.

•  Two Scots ballads (one happy and one sad), with a title woodcut vignette of a well-dressed lady holding a flower in her lap. “[No.] 74" is printed at the foot of the title.

OCLC locates only three copies worldwide.  

•  Original self wrappers (unbound; removed). Very good.  (17437)

Five Songs & a Neat Cut

Click the image for an enlargement.

•  Title woodcut vignette of the rear view of a heavily laden donkey or mule. “Hark Away” celebrates the delights of deer hunting. “Love in the Horrors” is a comic song about a fellow who takes a little too much brandy in his morning cup of tea.

Not located in RLIN.  

•  Original self wrappers (unbound; removed). There is a strip out along the bottom of the 2nd & 3rd leaves with no loss of text. The page edges are somewhat darkened. Good.  (17438)

“My daddie looks sulky, my minnie looks sour,
      They frown upon Jamie because he is poor”

•  A woodcut vignette on the title-page shows a young man with one arm raised, above “[No.] 37" printed at the foot of the title.

•  NSTC 2B38504.   Removed from a nonce volume. A few traces of very faint spots of foxing, else clean and fresh. (16824)

SEVEN Songs Here

Click the image for an enlargement.

•  Title woodcut vignette of two handsome cocks facing off with a farmhouse and a rolling landscape in the background.

RLIN locates only the John G. White copy.  

•  Original self wrappers (unbound; removed). The title page is closely cropped along the top edge, else very good.  (17442)

Natural History forNew England Children

Click the images for enlargements.

•  The first in Merrill's “Series no. 2" of two-cent toybooks: A New Hampshire-printed children's bestiary, with12 wood engravings (including a duplicate of the lion pair on the front wrapper). The text isspecifically American, noting in several instances which animals are or are not found in the United States. The present copy was interestingly mismanaged by the printer: the first piece, about elephants, is interrupted by one page of text about eagles — although that page is paginated correctly in sequence.

The accounts given here are of Elephant, Lion, Leopard, Bull, Buffalo, Horse and rider, Ass, Deer, and Stag.

•  American Imprints 43-2471.   Publisher's bright blue paper wrappers; lower outer corners and foot of spine chipped. One page of misplaced text as above. Pages with a few spots of light foxing, mostly clean. An unusually fresh and nice example of this type of toybook.  (31448)

NEVER in Childish Hands — Cuts Very Well Impressed

Click the images for enlargements.

•  Virtually pristine copy of this penny toybook — a popular cautionary tale of two overly indulged brothers, one of whom prospers by way of his natural love of learning, and one of whom enjoys bad company and eventually goes to rack and ruin (not here, as some variants of this story have it, being eaten by wild beasts after a shipwreck, but rather more prosaically being sent to Newgate). The story is illustrated with eight woodcuts, two of which show the boys playingbadminton and marbles.

One signature at the back is unopened.

•  NSTC 2H10236.   Publisher's light yellow printed paper wrappers, removed from a nonce volume. Clean, crisp, unread copy.  (31946)

  The Humours of Glasgow fair, and The Comical song of Auld John Paul.  Glasgow [Scotland] : Printed for the Booksellers, [18--] . 12mo. 8 pp.
$85.00

Click the image for an enlargement.

•  Title woodcut vignette of a man sharpening a scythe. “[No.] 42" printed at the foot of the title.

Not located in RLIN.  

•  Very good. Original self wrappers (unbound; removed).  (17560)

EIGHT . . .

Click the image for an enlargement.

•  Woodcut title vignette of a ship at sea.

•  Original self wrappers [unbound; removed]. There is a large area of light dampstaining to the first leaf. The top edge of the title is closely cropped, affecting three words of the title of the first song. The top edge of the last leaf is also closely cropped, cutting off part of the page number “7". Good.  (17446)

O! “The Beggar Was aCunnin Loon”

Click the image for an enlargement.

•  Three ballads about men courting women: two Scots and one English. The woodcut title-page vignette shows a street performer playing a tabor pipe and drum, with “[No.] 61" printed at the foot of the title.

•  NSTC 2B15227.   Removed from a nonce volume. Clean and crisp.  (17480)

“Hail us the Jovial Sons of Jove”

•  The list of songs is“Hark, the Hollow Woods Resounding. Highland Minstrel Boy. Tell Me Where the Maid Is Found. Forget Me Not. Ah! Men, What Silly Things You Are. Farewell, My Donkey Neddy. Life Is Darken'd O'er with Woe. Let's Drink, My Friends. Dash Along to the Mellow-Toned Horn.”

A woodcut title-page vignette shows a sailing ship at sea, with “[No.] 57" printed at the foot of the title.

Not in NSTC.

•  Removed from a nonce volume. Fresh and clean save for small spot of light staining to upper inner corner of last page. (16841)

TO Part II . . .

PLACE AN ORDER   |   E-MAIL US   |   PRB&M HOME