THE TINY LAWN TENNIS CLUB by the designer of the Children's kettledrum. by M. A. C. (Mary Ann Cruse).: - 1883

London, Dean & Son, 160A Fleet Street, (1883).. FIRST EDITION (1883), small 4to, 225 x 175 mm, 9 x 7 inches, coloured illustrations to every page, verse text, pages: 1-30 including colour illustrated prelims (1-2 Presentation Plate inscribed Xmas 1882; 3-4 half-title and frontispiece (name and date 1902 on half-title); 5-7 title page and index). Publisher's cloth backed colour illustrated glazed boards with small illustration of 2 children playing tennis, endpapers replaced at some time with appropriate gilt and floral patterned ones. Slight edge wear to covers and corners, small scrape to background of upper cover, a couple of small light stains and many light scratches to lower cover, front inner paper hinge neatly repaired, faint foxing to half-title, 10 mm (½") closed tear to lower margin of page 13, neatly repaired, 1 or 2 pale fingermarks to margins, otherwise a clean tight copy. Lawn tennis dates back to 1873, so this children's book published 10 years later is an early work reflecting the new sport. The story of the tiny lawn tennis club occupies the first 8 pages with 2 full page coloured illustrations of children playing a doubles match, and 3 pages each with a coloured illustration of a child holding a racket . The rest of the book consists of verses for children on a variety of topics (The Little Housekeeper, The Naughty Kitten etc), only one of which refers to tennis, The Fairies Tennis Match with a small illustration. MORE IMAGES ATTACHED TO THIS LISTING, ALL ZOOMABLE. FURTHER IMAGES ON REQUEST. POSTAGE AT COST.