Book of the week; We've tales to tell published by Raphael Tuck c1894

We've tales to tell; a collection of stories written by Helen Marion Burnside, Edric Vredenberg, E. Nesbit, Clara Thwaites, Elizabeth Day and E. M. Chettle.

Published by Raphael Tuck & Sons, London, Paris, New York. Undated but gift inscription 'for dear little Dorothy with love from Uncle Noel & Auntie Chick Feb 13, 1894'

Featuring seven very fine chromolithographed illustrations and numerous black and white line drawings.

Illustrated by Harriett M Bennett, Jane Willis Grey, J Pauline Sunter, Ellen Welby, Fanny Bowers, Inez Warry and Fanny Moody.

The tales are; the queen of a castle, the fairy stone, Miss Janet, how Jack came to tea, Bevis, Simpkins, and a crooked tail.

Raphael Tuck & Sons; 

Raphael Tuck and his wife Ernestine opened a picture framing shop and art gallery in Bishopgate, London in October 1866. Three years later they moved to a larger shop in City Road, and Raphael began to produce lithographs and colour chromolithographs. By 1870, his sons had joined the business, and the focus was turned to the import and publication of printed paper products, including books and postcards. By 1881, Raphael had retired and his sons were running the company. It was at this time that the now-familiar company trademark, an artist’s easel and palette, was registered. The company was awarded its first Royal Warrant by Queen Victoria in 1893. Ernestine died in 1895, and Raphael’s health began to fail.

By the end of the nineteenth-century Raphael Tuck & Sons were major publishers of Christmas cards, scraps, paper dolls, books, calendars and prints. In 1899 a new head office (Raphael House) was opened in the City.  Raphael died from influenza in March 1900 but his sons continued to expand the business and were later joined by their own sons.

During the Second World War the company headquarters, archives and many original artworks were destroyed. Work continued in several small locations around the city, and at the end of the war things returned to the fortunes of pre-war days. The business continued through to the 1960s when it was acquired by Purnell & Sons.

If you would like to find out more about Raphael Tuck and sons, there is a very good website here. 

I hope you enjoyed seeing some of the illustrations from this very pretty antiquarian book.

Update January 2016.  'Wendy' contacted me to say she owns a copy of a book with the same title as the one I show here but with a completely different front cover. Wendy tells me her book is printed on very heavy paper and has only one colour illustration. Her copy also has an inscription with the date 1935 (see images).

From the cover, I can see this is a book from the Raphael Tuck & Sons “come to life” series with one pop-up panorama. Wendy doesn't say what stories her book contains so I'm unsure if her book is a reprint with fewer illustrations or a completely different book with the same title. I suspect Raphael Tuck & Sons reused titles as did/do many other publishers. Sadly, in 1940 Raphael Tuck was bombed in the blitz of London, and the records from the business were destroyed.