This interesting book consists of seven didactic and moral tales, such as ‘The dangers of curiousity’,‘The little rattlehead’ and ‘Juvenile arrogance’, each illustrated with charming head- and tail-pieces: the horses frightened by a snake at the end of ‘Tale the Second: The little busy body’ are particularly attractive. The wood engravings are in the Bewick style, and have sometimes been attributed to Thomas’s brother, John Bewick, although the engraver is more likely to be another ‘follower’. Nothing is recorded of the book’s provenance, but the name ‘Miss Pridham’ (or Pudham) is written on p. 99. Only 5 other copies – 2 in the United Kingdom - are recorded in the English Short Title Catalogue.
Cherryburn in Northumberland, is the birthplace of Thomas Bewick; the Museum was established by the Thomas Bewick Birthplace Trust, and passed to the National Trust in 1991.
This grant was awarded from FNL's B. H. Breslauer Fund, thanks to the generosity of the President and Officers of the B. H. Breslauer Foundation.
