{"product_id":"a-trip-to-the-north-pole-william-g-turner-saalfield-1910","title":"A Trip to the North Pole: A Story of Adventure in the Arctic","description":"\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"3\"\u003e(Toy and Movable Books, Pop-Up Books, Arctic Exploration) TURNER, William G. \u003cb data-path-to-node=\"3\" data-index-in-node=\"77\"\u003e\u003ci data-path-to-node=\"3\" data-index-in-node=\"77\"\u003eA TRIP TO THE NORTH POLE: A STORY OF ADVENTURE IN THE ARCTIC\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"4\"\u003eAkron, Ohio; Chicago; New York: The Saalfield Publishing Company, [1910]. \u003cb data-path-to-node=\"4\" data-index-in-node=\"74\"\u003eFIRST EDITION\u003c\/b\u003e. 4to - 10-3\/4\" x 8-1\/8\". Red cloth-backed, color pictorial glazed paper-covered front board and plain uncovered rear board. Plain endpapers with an early signature in a child's hand on front free endpaper. Illustrated with four red, black, and white illustrations on three-quarter length hinged leaves that lift to reveal striking chromolithograph backdrops with attached three-dimensional telescoping chromolithograph pop-up scenes; the four underlying pages feature green, black, and white illustrations. All pop-up mechanics complete and operational. Original internal text block held with firm metal staples; text block currently secured to outer covers by a single brass brad paper fastener through the spine center.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"5\"\u003eThe physical condition of the item is graded \u003cstrong\u003eVERY GOOD\u003c\/strong\u003e (utilizing the standard antiquarian book grading scale for works on paper). The paper-covered boards show light wear to extremities and corners. The text block's original staple binding remains firm and intact, though detached from the original casing and held in place via the single brass brad at the spine. All four elaborate telescoping chromolithograph pop-up mechanisms remain intact, undamaged, and function as intended.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 data-path-to-node=\"6\"\u003eEarly Twentieth-Century Movable Books and Arctic Exploration\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"7\"\u003ePublished during the height of public fascination with polar exploration following the competing North Pole claims of Robert Peary and Frederick Cook in 1909, \u003ci data-path-to-node=\"7\" data-index-in-node=\"159\"\u003eA Trip to the North Pole\u003c\/i\u003e stands as a remarkably sophisticated example of early twentieth-century American movable toy book engineering. Produced by Akron's Saalfield Publishing Company, the narrative follows a group of intrepid explorers venturing into the high Arctic, suffering a six-month overwintering in ice houses alongside native inhabitants while awaiting the return of spring sunlight. The book's structural complexity relies on a clever dual-layer mechanics: three-quarter length flap leaves featuring two-color illustrations lift away to reveal immersive, three-dimensional chromolithographic scenes that extend outward via delicate paper hinges. Combining dramatic narrative with interactive paper engineering, the volume reflects the period's technological innovation in mass-market mechanical book production for children.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 data-path-to-node=\"8\"\u003eSeries Bibliography, Census, and Market Scarcity\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"9\"\u003eMovable and pop-up books from this era are notoriously prone to severe mechanical damage, torn paper hinges, missing pop-up components, or complete destruction from repeated juvenile handling. Copies retaining all delicate telescoping chromolithographic scenes in complete working order are exceptionally uncommon. A current global sweep of the \u003cstrong\u003eOCLC\/WorldCat database locates only 5 copies\u003c\/strong\u003e preserved in institutional special collections worldwide, including UCLA, Princeton University Library, and Yale University Library.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"10\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"10\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eTHIS EXCEEDINGLY RARE AND STRUCTURALLY COMPLETE MOVABLE TOY BOOK OFFERS AN EXCEPTIONALLY SCARCE SURVIVING EXAMPLE OF EARLY TWENTIETH-CENTURY POP-UP PAPER ENGINEERING, REPRESENTING A CRITICAL ACQUISITION FOR INSTITUTIONAL SPECIAL COLLECTIONS OR EXTRAORDINARY PRIVATE COLLECTIONS DEVOTED TO THE HISTORY OF TOY AND MOVABLE BOOKS, ARCTIC EXPLORATION, OR EARLY TWENTIETH-CENTURY CHILDREN'S LITERATURE.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e# 000764\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wallace \u0026 Clark, Booksellers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43223074766997,"sku":null,"price":2750.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0459\/2589\/2245\/products\/atriptothenorthpole0112152018.jpg?v=1675640560","url":"https:\/\/wallaceandclark.com\/products\/a-trip-to-the-north-pole-william-g-turner-saalfield-1910","provider":"Wallace \u0026 Clark, Booksellers","version":"1.0","type":"link"}