KING NUT-CRACKER or The Dream of Poor Reinhold. A Fairy Tale for Children freely rendered from the German of Dr. Heinrich Hoffmann (author of "Struwwelpeter") by J. R. Planche, Esq

London: Leipzig Friedrich Volckmar; London William Tegg & Co and A. & S. Joseph Myers & Co. Hardcover. Good. Heinrich Hoffman, strewelpeter, Struwwelpeter, hand coloured wood engravings.. Small 4to, (265 x 200 mm, 10½ x 8 inches) Not dated. 28pp. Translated from the German by Planche. Illustrated with a hand coloured wood engraved illustration on title page and twenty six large hand coloured wood engraved illustrations printed 1 side only. Missing the ‘Introduction’, page 2. It has been professionally rebound in cloth retaining the original orange printed wrappers, which have been laid onto the front and back boards. It has a blind stamp on the title page. New endpapers, title page has a small repaired tear; missing the ‘Introduction’ page; p.28, last page has a repair to the lower and upper missing right corners and some repaired tears. Throughout the book has some minor handling and thumbing marks with very minor foxing.The first English printing was in 1853, although the import tax stamp is dated 1846, and should be disregarded as the date. It appears that the first English printing had pale grey printed coloured boards with the ink stamp on the title page. This copy has orange printed coloured boards with the same printed design as the first, but with a blind stamp on the title page, not the printed tax stamp. So I assume this is a later impression of the first edition. A poor child dreams of the Fairy Town of Toys where he meets King Nutcracker, toy soldiers, Noah's animals and Struwwelpeter and friends. This version of E.T.A. Hoffmann's story by the author of Struwwelpeter was first published in Germany in 1851. The translator James Robinson Planche (1796-1880) was a popular British dramatist, antiquary and Somerset Herald.Written after the success of ‘Struwwelpeter’, and published by the same publishers, who couldn’t resist an advertisement in the lower margin of p.25 in ‘King Nutcracker’ is printed ‘Henry Hoffmann’s amusing Book for Children entitled ‘Struwwelpeter’ is now generally and deservedly popular in England, and the character there mentioned are well known, we have no doubt, to hundreds of our little friends.’