The History of the Catnach Press at Berwick upon Tweed, Alnwick, Newcastle upon Tyne in Northumberland and Seven Dials, London...
1886. London: Charles Hindley, 1886.
4to, xlii, 308 pp. With some 230 woodcuts including 42 by Bewick, some on colored backgrounds. Original quarter white paper and boards, a bit worn but sound, lower hinge cracked but sounds, binder’s ticket present.
§ Limited to 250 copies of the large paper edition. “One class of literature which Jemmy Catnach made almost his own, was children's farthing and halfpenny books. Among these are :-
The Tragical Death of an Apple Pie
The House that Jack Built
Jumping Joan
The Butterflys' Ball and Grasshoppers' Feast
Jerry Diddle and his Fiddle
Nurse Love-Child's Gift
The Death and Burial of Cock Robin
The Cries of London
Simple Simon
Jacky Jingle and Suky Shingle
He advertised them as "Here you have just printed and published, and adorned with ten beautiful and elegantly engraved embellishments, and for the low charge of one farden – Yes ! one farden buys" (A farding is an obsolete or dialectal form of the word farthing)
The story of the Battle of Waterloo — (this last and 16th of the decisive battles at which Napoleon was finally overthrown, and took place i8 June 1815)
Old Songs and Ballads.— A Collection of 35 most Curious Old Songs and Ballads, printed at Seven Dials, on rough old straw paper, and illustrated with quaint and rude woodcuts or engravings
He also wrote many verses and songs, most of which he also printed on broadsides and chapbooks.
In the British Museum there is a collection of upwards of 4,000 ballads in two folio volumes – all printed by James Catnach.” (Wikipedia). Item #106829
Price: $275.00