THE MICROBIBLIOPHILE

A Bi-Monthly Journal About Miniature Books

We are pleased to present the following interesting article about the miniature

books of the Stoll & Edwards Company, extracted from an earlier issue of THE

MICROBIBLIOPHILE.

My first encounter with this name was on the cover of a box

containing eight tiny stories by Thornton W. Burgess (each

2-7/8" x 2-7/16"). The Stoll & Edwards name is on the colored

pictorial box label. That apparently is the extent of their

involvement with this boxful, as the Burgess booklets are all

copyrighted (1914, 1922) by John H. Eggers. He was tied up

somehow with the Winthrop Press and their series of 100 best

novels. He must have been working with Stoll & Edwards as well.

Most of the boxes like this have an illustration which is

identical with one of the enclosed booklets; not this one,

however. This box carries an illustration by Harrison Cady, but

it is not on any of my 32 Burgess booklets. Of course there may

be more of them, but if so they are not known to me. The label

says "Eight Bedtime Stories by Thornton W. Burgess".

The next box of eight booklets has a colored pictorial label of

"The Story of the Three Little Pigs," and also says "And Other

Stories". These booklets are 2-7/8" x 2-3/16", all copyrighted

by Stoll & Edwards Co., Inc., New York, N.Y. The titles are:

1. The Story of the Three Little Pigs, illustrated by Nana

French Bickford. n.d.

2. The Story of Peter Rabbit, illustrated by Bickford. n.d.

-Another copy, copyright 1921

-Another copy, copyright 1925, Oxford-Print, Boston (another

mystery)

3. The Story of the Little Small Red Hen, illustrated by

Bickford. n.d.

-Another copy, copyright 1921

-Another copy, copyright 1925, Oxford-Print, Boston

4. The Story of the Three Little Kittens, illustrated by

Bickford. n.d.

5. The Story of the Three Bears. illustrated by Bickford. n.d.

-Another copy, copyright 1921

6. The Story of Little Black Sambo. illustrated by Bickford.

copyright 1921.

7. The Story of Cinderella. illustrator not signed. n.d.

-Another copy, copyright 1925

8. Mother Goose Rhymes. illustrated by Doris C. Holt,

copyright 1921.

Of course the six added copies did not come with the box, but

have been added by me from wherever I could find them, over the

course of many years.

The next box, just acquired, contains another, later series,

which I had been attempting to complete for more than 20 years.

This box even taught me a word I had never before seen -

"Bookmites". The box label says "8 Bookmites for Children,

Stoll & Edwards, Inc., Publishers, New York, N.Y." The booklets

are all copyrighted 1926 by Stoll & Edwards, and are 2-7/8" x

2-1/4". They are all illustrated by Edward McCandlish. The

titles are:

1. Mister Fox Gets His Feet Wet

2. Daddy Rabbit Reaches His Limit

3. Daddy Turtle and the Well-Sweep

4. Mister Possum Gets A Scare

5. Little Miss Ducky-Daddles

6. Brother Black Bear Gets In Trouble

7. The Froggies' Diving School

8. Pinky-Winky Meets A Stranger

Stoll & Edwards may have published more books. If so, I haven't

seen or heard of them. If you have, please do let me know. The

ones I have are totally charming, and learning about more of

them would be most intriguing.