Raphael Tuck - Life In The Woods - Movable Panorama Lift-Up Cover and Pull-Up Die-Cut Figures - Very Scarce Title
Raphael Tuck – Life In The Woods
Panorama with a liftable flap on cover and lift-up die-cut figures inside – Quite Scarce
London - Paris - New York; Raphael Tuck & Sons, Ltd., Publishers to the Queen, Designed at the studios in England and printed at the Fine Arts Works in Saxony. #1507
No date: Circa 1890
This panorama book, crafted by Raphael Tuck & Sons in the 1890s, features a movable front cover with a liftable panel that reveals a charming illustration of a squirrel couple. Constructed from thick cardboard, the book includes eight panels that extend.
The panorama employs separate die-cut figures to create a unique "pop-out" mechanism. Embossed die-cut images are mounted to the pages, where they lift up to give the appearance of three-dimensionality (they are not placed in slits). See below for why we rate this book as “Quite Scarce.”
Dimensions:
8.5 x 23.5 cm [7.25 x 9 inches]
Fold-out size: 18.5 x 142 cm [7.25 x 157 inches]
The book is designed to be educational, with information about different wild animals provided on the verso of the illustrations.
There are four single-page "pop-out" pages and one center-spread pop-out. Stories about each of the illustrated pop-out pages given on five verso pages include:
- The Kingfisher
- The Peasant
- Feathers & Fur
- Mr. Squirrel and the Thrush Family
- Goldfinch, Magpie, Turtle Dove, and Wren
Condition:
All pop-out features are intact and undamaged, and the original movable cover functions well without the need for any repairs. Notably, two pages, including the cover and rear board, have become unbound, and there is a noticeable crack/tear at the top of the back cover. Minor edge wear and slight fading of the text pages are observed, consistent with the book’s age.
Scarcity: Despite an extensive search across multiple platforms, including
libraries, booksellers, online collections and google book refernces, we found
no current listings or catalog entries for "Life in the Woods" by
Raphael Tuck & Sons – with the exception of the extensive Tuck collection
by TuckDB Ephemera. This absence across common sources like the British
Museum's collection, various specialized booksellers, and historical archives
of Raphael Tuck & Sons indicates that this book is quite rare. Given
Raphael Tuck & Sons' history of producing limited editions and unique
movable books, particularly during the late 19th century, it's not surprising
that this particular book appears scarce. The company's practice of issuing
limited runs, often as novelties or for special occasions, would contribute to
the rarity of this and several of our Tuck movables found here – and nowhere
else currently.