FIRST ENGLISH EDITION, translated from German by J. R. Planche. 4to, (265 x 200 mm or 10" x 8") hand-coloured title letters and hand-coloured illustration on the title page, 28 large hand-coloured illustrations on 27 pages printed on one side only, 28 pages including the title page. Original publisher's pale grey, printed boards with large uncoloured illustration to the upper board, showing a man pasting to the wall a poster for our book, watched by a group of children and adults, vignette to lower cover of 4 children examining an extensive book. A fresh spine in matching paper, lower edges and corners slightly worn, very slight pale spotting to margins of covers, mounted on front pastedown is a small piece of paper on which the previous owner/collector of children's books has meticulously assessed the date of this copy, his small modern bookplate is below, pastedowns and endpapers are slightly foxed, on the reverse of the title page is the small German ink duty stamp found in German books of this period, very slight pale foxing to 4 lower outer corners, otherwise an excellent clean brightly coloured copy of a rare children's book. This copy matches the British Library's first edition in all respects, including the duty stamp and no adverts on the endpapers. Not in Osborne or Oppenheimer, Gumuchian 3045 mentions 30 col woodcuts erroneously with an estimated date of 1845. The translator James Robinson Planche (1796-1880) was a popular British dramatist, antiquary, and Somerset Herald. Coloured plates in order: 1. Coloured title page. 'Laugh and be good As little folks should.' 2. [Grandmama speaks with three young children under a lime tree. p.2] 3. [A Christmas Fair. p.3] 4. [Cottage in the snow p.4] 5. [Mother in despair in a run-down room next to her sickly child, Reinhold. p.5] 6. [A Fairy Guide appears to the sickly child; Reinhold. p.6] 7. [Reinhold is playing with toys. p.7] 8. [Reinhold is shrunk to the size of his toys. p.8] 9. [The Trumpeter. p.9] 10. [A montage of assorted boys and girls with their toys surrounding Reinhold. p.10] 11. [A White Cockerel bears a banner and a Black Cockerel with a proclamation. p.11] 12. [The King's Speech. Reinhold bows before the King p.12] 13. [Many boys and girls excitedly and loudly proclaim the King. p.13] 14. [Reinhold sits before the King, seated in his Chair of State. p.14.] 15. [A pair of Dancers, light and thin. p.15]] 16. [The same pair of Dancers seen dining at the King's expense. p.16] 17. [Seven wooden soldiers all in a row. p.17] 18. [The same seven wooden soldiers - all in disarray! p.18] 19. [Six wooden cavalry soldiers, one sounding a trumpet. p.19] 20. [Six wooden cavalry soldiers all in a row / Six wooden cavalry soldiers blown down by a fierce wind. p.20] 21. [The King's Cook is seen trailing a canon. p.21] 22. [The Cook fires the canon, full of sweets, at children p.22] 23. [Song of the Birds. Three Urchins sit under a Christmas Tree while a pair of songbirds sing. p.23] 24. [A scene depicting many animals appearing out of Noah's Ark, including; Elephants, Rabbits, Deer, Pigs, Sheep, Foxes, Goats and Dogs, etc. p.24] 25. [An assortment of 'Naughty People' including; 'Cruel Frederick,' 'Silly Conrad,' 'Fidgetty Philip,' Peter, Hans, Robert, and Casper. p.25] 26. [Reinhold and the King are by themselves in the Toy-Town Square. p.26] 27. [Reinhold is seen in Toy-Town with his Fairy Guide p.27] 28. [Reinhold and his Mother are seen once again in their cottage; however, this time, it is lit up by a beautiful Christmas Tree surrounded by toys! p.28]