[PENNSYLVANIA IMPRINTS] [CHAPBOOKS] Pictures of Animals by [H. L. Harvey & O. Spafford, publishers] - 1836

Erie, PA: H. L. Harvey & O. Spafford, 1836. First Edition. Sewn binding. Fair. 32mo (7cm x 11cm), 18pp., illustrated. In fair condition only in the publisher's printed wrappers, with hand-stitched string binding, possibly a later repair. Bottom half of the rear wrapper perished, and significant marginal loss to two leaves, though no contents are affected. Some tearing. Generally rubbed and soiled, but legible. Despite its rather sorry state, a vanishingly scarce western Pennsylvania imprint, published when Erie had a populaton of about 2,500. The verso of the title page contains four sets of the alphabet, in four different typefaces, along with a series of numbers (1-23), ostensibly to help children learn their letters and numbers. The woodcut vignettes of animals are quaint; examples include the kangaroo, raccoon, nyl-ghau, and fox. OCLC records just one separately listed holding, at the Free Library of Philadelphia (that copy dated 1838). Missed by the Checklist of American Imprints. We found just three other similar chapbooks imprinted by Harvey and Spafford in Erie (each also with just one holding apiece per OCLC). An ephemeral rarity of early 19th century western Pennsylvania printing.