Heinrich Hoffmann - The English Struwwelpeter - 1906

English clothbound edition of Struwwelpeter, presenting Hoffmann's stark moral tales about disobedient children in vivid original illustrations, and at the same time serving as an early testament to innovative, child-friendly book production.

Publisher: Dean’s Rag Books No. 46. London, Dean’s Rag Book Co. Ltd., 1906.
Illustrated, printed linen book (fabric book). With 40 original illustrations after Hoffmann, each page richly colored. 29 x 20 cm

DABEI: Printed cloth pocketbook with Struwwelpeter motifs, probably around 1915

Rare early English clothbound edition of the world-famous children's book classic Struwwelpeter, published by Dean’s Rag Book Co. Ltd., a publisher founded in 1903 that specialized in particularly sturdy, washable books for children. This edition transposes Heinrich Hoffmann’s drastically moralizing picture stories — including Shock-Headed Peter, The Story of Cruel Frederick, Harriet and the Matches, or The Inky Boys — into the innovative medium of the printed cloth-bound book.

The vividly colored illustrations preserve Hoffmann’s distinctive style with its blend of grotesque, black humor, and pedagogical deterrence, while the textile production reflects the contemporary reform-pedagogical claim to durability and child-friendly use. Dean’s Rag Books belong to the earliest examples of industrially produced cloth picture books and are today rarely preserved, as they were heavily used.

With age-related signs of wear, as is typical for this fragile book genre; the illustrations are clearly recognizable and visually appealing. An extraordinarily charming collectible item.