1863 Miniature Book "Aunt Laura" THE DOLLS' SURPRISE PARTY Scarce Breed & Butler

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Antique Miniature Book "Aunt Laura" [one of the pseudonyms of Frances Elizabeth Mease Barrow, also writing as "Aunt Fanny" - c1822 - May1894]. THE DOLLS' SURPRISE PARTY . Buffalo: Breed, Butler & Co., 1863. Apparent 1st (and only) edition). Very scarce. Miniature (1-3/8 x 1-7/8") hardbound in olive green gilt- and blind-stamped boards; all edges gilt; 64pp. (Note: The AAS Catalog and the U. of Iowa Charlotte M. Smith Collection of Miniature Books both attribute this work to Barrow, who published several miniature books with Breed, Butler & Co. The imprint is quite scarce, even in special collections of miniatures). A charming story with more depth than meets the eye on first glance and with not one but two surprise parties! One the surface it recounts a long play day between Rosa, a well-to-do little girl who is possessed of a fine doll house and many dolls, and her little girlfriend Anna, from a family of modest means. There is much charming detail about the dollhouse and its miniature furnishings, including tiny chandeliers and table goblets and even a "fairy stove" in which a real fire could be lighted but never was because of the danger. The girls' games and scenarios are recounted as well, and by this we learn the characters of the dolls - the prized Charlotte, a beautiful waxen doll with joints and several outfits, a man doll with his suit sewn on and unjointed so that he must either stand or lie on the divan, a Baby Doll too large for the dollhouse but who plays in the scenarios nonetheless, always "in another room", a Red Riding Hood doll, a Man Servant doll Caesar, a Zouave in bright costume, an old broken Fiddler doll, a Nun doll, and so forth. That night as Rosa is falling asleep, she sees the chandeliers and Fairy Stove in the dollhouse light up, and the dolls moving about, and what follows is a long dream sequence where the dolls host a surprise party for Rosa described in exquisite detail, down to the silvery tinkle of the lily-of-the-valley bell that Caesar rings to announce dinner and the gifts that the Walnut Witch Fairy sends in her honor. At the party Rosa overhears the dolls talking among themselves about her and she is shocked to hear them say that though they loved her, she was often thoughtless about the feelings of others, lorded her good fortune over them a bit, was greedy enough to always take the biggest piece of cake at teatime with Anna, had even injured her toys in fits of pique, and so forth. Rosa's face tingles in shame when she overhears these remarks, but the truth of it all strikes her, and she tells her dollies so, and then wakes up to broad daylight. To make a long story short, she and Mother then devise a plan to have a nice dollhouse constructed for little Anna, and furnish it beautifully, even making many of the appointments themselves, and provisioning it with dolls - and then they and Anna's mother have a surprise birthday party for Anna, who is as thrilled as one could image at receiving such a dollhouse and even more thrilled at having such a friend as Rosa. CONDITION: Near Fine. Slight fading to the gilt, one tiny faded spot on the back board, and slight scuffing to the rear endpapers at the hinge. A very few faint yellowish age-spots to the leaves, a trace of finger soil, and one light crease to a page. Overall as nicely preserved as one could wish of an imprint of this type now approx. 150 years sold, with only very minor evidence of age and use. Please see the many photos and do not hesitate to contact us with questions. We use accepted bookseller's grading standards: Fine, Near Fine, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor. We grade items conservatively. SHIPPING: Item will be shipped well protected in hard wrapings. We do our best to combine shipping for multiple items. SKU06792EW -WV This description and its photo(s) are property of A. A. Miran Arts and Books. Unauthorized use is not permitted. The free listing tool. List your items... read more

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