Beauty and the Beast
McLoughlin Bros [Brothers], 1893. This is a rare and unusual copy of “Beauty and the Beast” published by McLoughlin Brothers, New York in 1893. McLoughlin Bros., Inc. was a New York publishing firm that pioneered the systematic use of color printing technologies in children's books, particularly between 1858 and 1920. Their illustrations were hand-stenciled during the firm's early years and printed using chromolithographs and photo engravings later on. The book is shaped like a theater and the cover looks like a stage. The book opens in the center of the cover and the interior pages shows the audience in black and white in theatre boxes on either side of the stage. The center shows the story in play form in color. There are 7 coloured illustrations incorporating text representing scenes on stage, the first six divide vertically into flaps, or halves. As the flaps are turned over the scene being shown changes until arriving at the final scene of the story. The vividly printed covers are bound in paper and the book opens in the middle. The covers are chipped and worn, and a piece is torn out of the lower margin of the front cover and the lower corner of the rear cover. There is a large black mark on the front right flap that appears to have been applied in ink. Hinges are worn with the flaps to the cover and interior pages are partially detached but still holding. . Interior pages are generally bright with with a small black mark and tear to paper of the right pages. Still a decent copy of a scarce item. Measures 9.75 x 11.5 inches. Unpaginated. CHILD/120523. Very Good. More