Punch: Punch (83.1882)

[December 16, 1882.

9SS PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.

OUR BOOKING-OFFICE AND CHRISTMAS-CARD BASKET.

Sixes and Sevens. (Published by Hildeshelmer and Faulkner.)
Written by F. F. Weatherly, and illustrated by J. M. Dealt.
Here and.there a figure may be a little wooden, though this is only
characteristic.of Dealy, but taken as a whole, all the Little Sixes
and Sevens will be dealy-ighted with the work.

From De la Rue & Co.’s come Rhymes and Reasons To suit the
Seasons, and Pictures new To suit them too; so well got up, they are
certain to go down with the Public. From the same Publishers we
have also a new edition of the Grimm old tale of Rumpelstiltskin,
illustrated by Geo. R. Halkett. This is thoroughly Christmassy,
as a dear old familiar Fairy Story always must be at such a
thoroughly goblin’ time as that of the annual Plum Pudding Festival.

Sotheran & Co.’s Sonnets by a certain Mr. William Shak-
speare (Author of Othello, Macbeth, &c., &c.), a book with orna-
mental borders—(what an attraction for a boarding-house, “ Orna-
mental Boarders ! ”)—designed by G. Edwin F. Ellis, and etched
by Tristram J. Ellis—(nobody Ellis being engaged on the work)—
is a first-rate gift-book for the Season.

Every Boy's Pocket-Book (Routledge) for 1883, arranged by
Henry Frith (perhaps suggested by Sir Garnet’s The Soldier's

Pocket-Book) will be most useful for every boy with a pocket, and
the same Firm publish Mrs. Sale Barber’s Feathered and Four-
footed Friends, which is just the very thing for young children, as
are all this Lady’s Christmas books. By the way, a friend who
was both “ feathered and four-footed ” would be worth exhibiting—
quite a lusus natures. Several editions of this will go off without
any necessity of marking them “ Sale or return.” The child-readers
may shout, with The Bay of Biscay song—

“ A Sale in sight appears,

We hail it with three cheers.”

Raphael Tuck and Sons have gone in for Royal Academy
Christmas Cards, the best being those by Mr. Marcus Stone. This
comes of having been christened Raphael, which must be at once
suggestive of the highest Art. Personally we . should rather have
preferred Friar Tuck's Christmas Cards, which would probably
have been more genial and Christmassy, though these are, according
to the verdict of Our Mistress of Arts and Local Examiner,. “ Most
Lovely ! ” The same learned Theban Lady has highly eulogised the
satin cards of De la Rue, their book-markers, and their diaries,
which latter our M.A. pronounces “ Really charming! ”