KING WINTER

Hamburg: Gustav W. Seitz, 1859. Near fine.. First edition of this beautiful shape book, detailing the seasonal activities of the Santa Claus-like KING WINTER and his assistant Jack Frost — in notably sharp condition. KING WINTER's job is distinctly Santa Claus-like: he inquires about the behavior of children, trims Christmas trees, and delivers gifts, all while wearing a red and white ensemble. Meanwhile, his unnamed wife and his servant Jack Frost go about the actual duties of winter, dusting the world with snow and creating frozen lakes. Indeed, it is Jack frost with his "stiff as a crutch" white beard who lends his shape to this book – the author was clearly aware of who was truly bringing winter to the land.
This edition is nearly identical to Louis Prang's shape book of the same name. Prang made waves in 1863 with his publication of the "first mass-produced book to deviate from a rectilinear format" in the US, but the Library of Congress holds a Seitz copy of KING WINTER that is dated 1859 (PUBLIC DOMAIN REVIEW). It is unclear which publisher was copying which; either way, Seitz editions are scarcer on the market than those by Prang. 6.75'' x 2.75''. Original shaped color pictorial wrappers. Illustrated with chromolithographs. [8] shaped leaves. Wrapper with mild edgewear; spine with thin, careful repair. Leaves with occasional scattered foxing. Sharp and bright.