Collodi, Carlo

small 8vo (165 x 101mm.), FIRST ENGLISH EDITION IN AN APPARENTLY UNRECORDED BINDING VARIANT, frontispiece and illustrations throughout by Enrico Mazzanti (illustrator's name misprinted "C. Mazzanti" on title-page), title in red and black, original green cloth lettered in gilt with floral design on upper cover and spine, top edge gilt, patterned endpapers, collector's chemise and green morocco-backed slipcase, some browning and spotting, embossed stamps to front free endpaper, extremities slightly worn, head and foot of spine bumped

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

An early advert by the publishers within The Bookman for December 1891 notes The Story of a Puppet as part of 'The Children's Library' and published in "fancy cloth" at "2s.6d." The review of the book published in The Bookman for January 1892 also cites a price of 2s.6d. and there is no mention of a different binding at a different price.

This copy includes embossed stamps to the front free endpaper, including that of W.H. Smith & Son Library at 186 Strand. It would seem reasonable to suggest, therefore, that this unrecorded variant is a library binding. The [A] gathering in the standard edition consists of 4 leaves. In this copy the [A] gathering comprises only 3 leaves. The original A2 and A3 conjugates remain and A4 is tipped-in on A3. This changes the order of the preliminaries, abandoning the preliminary blank and advertising 'The Children's Library' opposite the title-page. The tissue guard for the frontispiece is also discarded. All of these changes tend to indicate an edition for library use.