(Toy and Movable Books) THE OLD FASHIONED MOTHER GOOSE MELODIES COMPLETE WITH MAGIC COLORED PICTURES. TOGETHER WITH A RARE TRANSFORMATION TRADE CARD ADVERTISING THIS BOOK. [New York]: G. W. Carleton & Co., 1879. FIRST EDITION. 8vo - 7-7/8" x 5-3/4". Original dark red cloth covered boards with decoration, pictures and titles stamped in black and gilt to front cover and spine, and blind stamped decoration to back cover, with light rubbing to the corners, heavier rubbing and fading to the spine panel, scattered soiling, and bumping to the lower fore edge corners; to see the transformation effects, it was necessary to hold the book in a way that was conducive to causing wear to the binding; this copy has fared better than most copies of this title I have seen. Flower motif endpapers with an old newsprint catalog clipping about this book, with a manuscript date of "Sept. '46" applied to front pastedown with corresponding offsetting to F.F.E. [96] pp. The "Magic Mother Goose" series consisted of six different titles available individually, bound in wrappers, or as offered here, all six titles bound together in one volume, in cloth covered boards. The book is a metamorphosis book with each recto having a full page chromolithograph illustration, signed W.L.S. [William Ludwell Sheppard], with a flap that forms part of the illustration; as each flap is turned, its verso is revealed to expand the original illustration and show how the nursery rhyme concludes; both "before" and "after" illustrations captioned with the corresponding part of each rhyme in the lower margin; full nursery rhyme printed on versos opposite each rhyme's illustration; contents show intermittent spotting and finger soiling, chiefly confined to blank margins. This is a wonderful, inventive book, complete with all 48 metamorphic pictures showing before and after scenes of popular Mother Goose nursery rhymes. The condition of the book is VERY GOOD. Sold together with: RARE FLAP-TRANSFORMATION TRADE CARD ADVERTISING THIS BOOK. # 001153