Heinrich, Hoffman.

King Nut-Cracker or the Dream of Poor Reinhold. A Fairy Tale for Children Freely Rendered from the German of Dr. Heinrich Hoffman (Author of Struwwelpeter) by J[ames] R[obinson] Planché, Esq. Leipsig: Friedrich Volckmar, [1853]. [Bound with:][HEINRICH, Hoffman]. The English Struwwelpeter or Pretty Stories and Funny Pictures.

[ London: circa 1891?]. First English edition of King Nut-Cracker bound with an early English edition of Struwwelpeter. The first edition of the first work was published in 1857. The first English edition of Struwwelpeter appeared in 1848. Twenty-eight hand-colored illustrations, including title-page vignette, in Nut-Cracker. Twenty-four illustrated and hand-colored leaves, including title-page illustration, in Struwwelpeter. Text and illustrations printed on rectos only. Binding extremities lightly worn, a bit of soiling to boards. Slight foxing, marginal repair to last leaf in Nutcracker, with loss of a few words and letters. Rubber German export ink stamp, dated 1848, on verso of title-page. Crudely repaired short closed tears to pp. 9-24, at times barely intruding into text, but not affecting legibility. Small bookseller’s ticket on lower front pastedown. A very good copy. Rebound at an early period, as is common for this title, in contemporary pebbled cloth over boards with green cloth backstrip, front board lettered in gilt. Quarto. 28; 24 pp. Item #16537

Heinrich Hoffmann (1809-1894) was a German psychiatrist and author, best known for his work Der Struwwelpeter, an illustrated book that tells the (sometimes) horrific fates of disobedient children. He wrote under several pseudonyms, including “Polykarpus Gastfenger,” “Heulalius von Heulenburg,” and “Heinrich Hoffmann-Donner.” King Nut-Cracker was Hoffman’s second children’s book, written as a follow-up to Der Stuwwelpeter, and his only other work that achieved popularity. Hoffmann also wrote satires and poems (sometimes comedic) for adults, the former revealing his distaste for religious, philosophical, or political bigotry.

Price: $1,250.00