Summary: | "A gift picture book in verse, featuring letters of the alphabet. Page [1] features a picture of a badminton racket, shuttlecock, and a ball. Pamphlet is cut in the shape of the racket and shuttlecock. Apparently, this book was part of the personal archive of McLoughlin Bros. Vice President Charles E. Miller, and could have been published by the McLoughlin firm, although no publisher is mentioned in the issue in hand. McLoughlin Bros. was first listed in the New York city directory in 1858, and published in New York until its sale to Milton Bradley in 1920. The dress of girls depicted in this issue is characteristic of the 1850s and 1860s. No mention of this series could be found in available McLoughlin catalogues, but the List of toy books manufactured ... by McLoughlin Bros. (1867) contains the notice, "We have in hand a large assortment of little books for school rewards, which we hope to make very acceptable and so cheap, that they will have a large sale." "Trade mark registered"--p. [8]. Text and illustrations lithographed. "Prettily shaped toy-books, with original tales, for good girls ... Battledore and shuttle-cock"--series title and list, p. [8]. "Pretty toy books for good girls"--series title, separate fragment."
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