Whimsical incidents, or the Power of Music, a Poetic Tale: by a near Relation of old mother hubbard by [WHIMSICAL INCIDENTS] - 1805

London: J. Harris, 1805. 16 fully-engraved, unnumbered leaves, printed on one side only, comprising an engraved title page (on verso of first leaf), and 15 hand- coloured illustrated leaves with verse above pictures. Stitched, as issued, within original printed wrappers. Worn, with some loss and tearing to spine, occasional marking to text, creasing to margins and corners, with the odd tear. Old manuscript price inked to upper wrapper. A rare survival, in the original wrappers, of the first edition of a charming series of playful pictures illustrating a farcical verse narrative, the conceit of which involves a jig played by young Jack's fiddle, which is followed by an unfortunate series of events including an elderly gentleman having his wig stolen by a parrot. The whole, which references the popular Old Mother Hubbard series in its title, is a testament to publisher John Harris' intention to provide for the amusement, without overt educational improvement, of Georgian children. OCLC records copies at seven locations (BL, Bryn Mawr, Indiana, Morgan, Oxford, Princeton, and Rochester); COPAC adds no further. Moon 976.. First edition. 16mo.