In Storyland with Louis Wain

London : Raphael Tuck , nd [1912] . First Edition . Fair . Folio . Raphael Tuck 6786. An oversized book bound in glossy boards on thickly woven "Untearable" paper illustrating scenes from tales and folklore in coloured lithographs nearly filling each page. The subjects range widely including Bluebeard, Robin Hood, Sindbad, Robinson Crusoe, Jack in the Beanstalk and various sports and games ; the characters are mostly cats with the occasional dog and each page has two to four line captions in verse. The title page calls for 24 full colour illustrations but there are only 20 although there are 4 duotone illustrations in red and black. I believe it safe to assume that four plates are missing although one of the probable missing - Robinson Crusoe - is used for the front cover. The pages, although they generally seem to be genuinely untearable or at the least difficult to tear, are however subject to creasing and several of the pages are creased horizontally all the way across and several vertically from top to bottom. One page - Cinderella on the recto and Setting the Fashion on the verso is actually torn for an inch or so along that vertical crease. The main reason for the difficulty in speaking with absolute certainty about the number of plates is the book's extreme scarcity. I have been unable to locate no other copies listed for sale, in auction records, in OCLC (including the British Museum), or in extensive searches through relevant catalogues and consultation with other booksellers. The book is listed in Dale and the date given as 1912. Apart from the creasing the boards are worn with some staining and many of the pages are frayed at the edges. There is a large piece missing from the rear endpaper. A large book, special shipping considerations may apply for overseas orders.