BOLLE, D.
Als de Dieren konden Spreken! [If Animals Could Talk!] (Movable Book).
Rotterdam: D. Bolle, 1917. First Dutch edition. Quarto (25.5 × 20.5 cm). [10] pp. Four full-page chromolithographed movable plates with pull-tabs, six additional chromolithographed text pages. Original thread sewing.
Original pictorial paper-covered boards, upper cover with mounted chromolithographed illustration, lower cover plain. Spine later reinforced with plain paper. Covers re-attached; fold lines internally reinforced. Small tear to upper cover illustration at joint, with light tape reinforcement not affecting image; minor loss to upper corner of lower cover. Original sewing intact. A few small areas of nearly invisible clear tape.
Very good. Plates bright and complete, all pull-tabs present, clean, and fully functional. Pages evenly toned, with minor reinforcement along a few folds. No restoration to movable plates.
Scarce Dutch movable issued by D. Bolle of Rotterdam, reproducing four mechanical scenes adapted from Raphael Tuck & Sons’ Fun in the Forest (London, ca. 1909–1916), as recorded in the Movable Book Society’s index of Tuck mechanicals. The plates are identical to those in Tuck’s edition; the text and cover design were newly prepared for the Dutch market. A French edition, Les Bêtes entre Elles! (Paris: A. Capendu, n.d.), also shares the same plates.
Description:
This edition includes ten pages total—six narrative text pages with charming illustrations, and four dramatic movable scenes, each rendered in rich chromolithography. The movable illustrations are notable for their expressive animals, narrative depth, and precise engineering. The scenes include:
The Reading Lesson – A monkey attempts to teach a rhinoceros to read. Initially frustrated, the monkey discovers his pupil is sincere and becomes a willing teacher.
The Fox and the Lion – A fox carefully grooms the lion, giving him a haircut with dignity.
Movable 1: Singer and the Lion – A traveling minstrel named Sambo, trembling with fear, offers to sing to a lion to save his life. The lion, not hungry, agrees. Sambo rocks gently while the lion moves his eyes and opens his mouth. (This scene includes a racial caricature consistent with 1910s imagery; while typical of its period, it is offensive by modern standards and included here for bibliographic completeness.)
The Sick Hippo – Dr. Langeen examines a gluttonous hippo, recommending a 14-day fast and a dental visit, which the hippo finds too expensive.
The Solid Swing – An elephant swings a young child while the elephant mother looks on proudly, trusting the swing’s strength.
The Polite Crocodile – A monkey converses with a smiling crocodile, who warns him politely not to come too close to his teeth.
Movable 2: Terrified Monkeys – A tiger lifts its head from the underbrush, startling a group of monkeys. One leaps up a tree while others flee in panic.
Movable 3: Disobedience Punished – A stern lion disciplines two cubs who have misbehaved, reinforcing the theme of consequences.
Movable 4: Sleep, Baby, Sleep! – Subtitled Tricky Little Ones, the scene depicts two distraught lion parents: one rocks a howling cub while the others shout in a basket.
The Bees – A closing image shows neatly tended hives, with the farmer anticipating a rich harvest of honey.
Collector's Corner:
About the Publisher: D. Bolle (Rotterdam)
Movable and Novelty Publications
The Rotterdam publisher P.D. Bolle (1841-1913), best known for his “Bazaar van goedkoope boeken,” was a significant presence in the Dutch movable and novelty book market from the late 19th century into the early 20th century. His publishing strategy often centered on acquiring rights, plates, or stock from other publishers—especially those going out of business—and reissuing foreign designs for the Netherlands. Many of his movable titles were adaptations of English and German originals, most notably the works of Raphael Tuck & Sons.
Bolle’s earliest documented novelty appeared in 1888, when he issued Het Sprekend Prentenboek (The Speaking Picture Book), a Dutch adaptation of the celebrated German Das Sprechende Bilderbuch by Theodor Brand of Sonneberg. Bolle acquired the title from Sijthoff of Leiden, who had issued it the previous year. The Dutch version retained the mechanical function of the original—pull-cords producing animal sounds—but was considered a less refined production than the German edition.
By the 1890s, Bolle’s “Bazaar” was well established as a buyer of remaindered and second-hand stock, including large collections of movable titles. According to Lust en Leering (DBNL), by around 1895 his catalogue already featured Mijn Prettigste Boek and Als de Dieren konden Spreken!—both drawn directly from Raphael Tuck & Sons designs—as well as Een daagje in ’t bosch, an oblong quarto panorama adapted from Tuck’s A Day in the Forest: To Myrtle Grove Farm. The Dutch edition followed the panoramic fold-out format with three double-page pop-up scenes, closely mirroring its English source. These three titles illustrate Bolle’s tendency to reissue proven foreign novelties for Dutch readers. Although Bolle’s 1895 programme listed nine movable and novelty books, only one appears to have been newly issued that year; the remainder were probably acquired stock or projects that never reached print.
After 1900, Bolle further expanded his list through strategic acquisition, purchasing six movable or novelty titles from the Haarlem publisher I. de Haan when that firm closed. While the specific titles have not been identified, de Haan’s catalogue suggests they were likely reissues of Dean & Son or Raphael Tuck designs, perhaps with minor adaptations for the Dutch market. From October 1901, he began issuing reprints under his own imprint, demonstrating his role as a remainder specialist within the Dutch book trade.
A major relaunch occurred in late 1917, when Bolle advertised a new series titled Prentenboek met Beweegbare Platen in the Provinciale Overijsselsche en Zwolsche Courant on 29 November. The advertisement listed four titles: Voor Blondjes en Zwartjes, Twee Goede Vrienden, Mijn Prettigste Boek, and Als de Dieren konden Spreken! The latter two were reprints of Bolle’s 1890s adaptations of Raphael Tuck works, while Voor Blondjes en Zwartjes and Twee Goede Vrienden have not yet been definitively traced to their origins. Their chromolithographic style, page layout, and mechanical construction, however, strongly suggest connections to either Tuck or similar German productions of the period.
Available at https://www.vintagepopupbooks.com/Dutch-Movable-Book-c-1913-TWEE-GOEDE-VRIENDEN-p/a-36.htm
In 1923, Bolle reprinted Mijn Prettigste Boek and Als de Dieren konden Spreken! under the same Prentenboek met Beweegbare Platen series, ensuring their continued presence in the Dutch market well into the interwar years.
From his 1888 Het Sprekend Prentenboek to the 1923 reprints, D. Bolle’s movable book output shows a clear and consistent strategy: identify proven international designs, adapt them for local audiences, and keep them in circulation through periodic relaunches. His imprint stands as a vivid example of how movable book publishing in the Netherlands was deeply connected to the wider European novelty trade.
Biography of the Bolle Publishing House
Cornelis Arrenberg had operated a Dutch and French reading library at Noordblaak in Rotterdam since around 1820. When he died in 1853, Daniel Bolle—who had worked for Arrenberg for over twenty years—took over the business. The original premises were listed under several addresses over time, and under Bolle’s management the reading library was expanded into a full-scale bookstore. He later developed the business into a large-scale publishing enterprise. Records indicate that as early as the first half of the 19th century, a D. Bolle, likely Daniel’s father, was already active as a publisher.
In 1880, the firm moved to Hang 98, near Zeevischstraat. After Daniel Bolle’s death in 1887, his sons Pieter Daniel Bolle (1841–1913) and Daniel Manter Pierre Bolle (1862–1920) assumed control. For a period, two Bolle bookstores and publishing houses operated concurrently—P.D. Bolle and D. Bolle. The business promoted itself as “the Netherlands’ cheapest bookstore” and became widely known as the “Bazaar of Cheap Books.”
P.D. Bolle maintained premises at various Rotterdam addresses over the decades, including Eendrachtsstraat, Jacobusstraat, and O. Binnenweg, before eventually settling at Franschelaan. Pieter Daniel was succeeded by his son of the same name, who sold the business in 1968. Under new ownership it continued as Boekhandel Van Buren. D. Bolle developed a distinct reputation in publishing, maintaining operations through multiple relocations during wartime and post-war years.
References
“Als de Dieren konden Spreken.” Provinciale Overijsselsche en Zwolsche Courant (Zwolle), November 29, 1917. https://resolver.kb.nl.
Buijnsters, Piet J., and Leontine Buijnsters-Smets. Papertoys: Speelgoed voor Jongens en Meisjes, 1800–1940. Nijmegen: Vantilt, 2005.
Digitale Bibliotheek voor de Nederlandse Letteren (DBNL). “D. Bolle, uitgever.” Accessed June 22, 2025. https://www.dbnl.org.
LastDodo. “D. Bolle uitgever.” Accessed June 22, 2025. https://www.lastdodo.nl.
Movable Book Society. “Fun in the Forest.” In Raphael Tuck & Sons Movables: A Chronological Index. Accessed June 22, 2025. https://www.movablebooksociety.org.
Gielen, Theo. “Paper Theaters and Theater Books.” Movable Stationery 15, no. 3 (August 2007): 1–12. Includes review of Lust en Leering and discussion of D. Bolle’s movable titles, acquisitions, and adaptations.
P.J. Buijnsters & Leontine Buijnsters-Smets, Lust en Leering: Geschiedenis van het Nederlandse kinderboek in de negentiende eeuw — specifically chapter 22 (Beweegbare boeken en andere bijzondere boekvormen) via DBNL, which contains the passage naming Mijn Prettigste Boek, Als de Dieren konden Spreken!, and Een daagje in ’t bosch as Bolle titles derived from Tuck, and noting their 1917 and 1923 reissues.
Biographical information source:
Digitale Bibliotheek voor de Nederlandse Letteren (DBNL). “D. Bolle, uitgever.” Accessed August 7, 2025. https://www.dbnl.org.
References
“Als de Dieren konden Spreken.” Provinciale Overijsselsche en Zwolsche Courant (Zwolle), November 29, 1917. https://resolver.kb.nl.
(Dutch newspaper advertisement confirming Twee Goede Vrienden as part of D. Bolle’s “Prentenboek met Beweegbare Platen” series.)
Movable Book Society. “Fun in the Forest.” In Raphael Tuck & Sons Movables: A Chronological Index. Accessed June 22, 2025. https://www.movablebooksociety.org.
(Confirms Raphael Tuck’s original English mechanicals, ca. 1909–1916, and their international derivatives.)
“Fun in the Forest.” WorldCat. Accessed June 22, 2025. https://www.worldcat.org.
(Catalog listings for English-language editions of Fun in the Forest, published by Raphael Tuck with chromolithograph plates.)
Buijnsters, Piet J., and Leontine Buijnsters-Smets. Papertoys: Speelgoed voor Jongens en Meisjes, 1800–1940. Nijmegen: Vantilt, 2005.
(Historical overview of paper toys and publishers in the Netherlands, including D. Bolle’s influence.)
“Les Bêtes entre Elles!” Catalogue Collectif de France (CCFr). Accessed June 22, 2025. https://ccfr.bnf.fr.
(French-language edition believed to share plates with Fun in the Forest; published by A. Capendu.)
Digitale Bibliotheek voor de Nederlandse Letteren (DBNL). “D. Bolle, uitgever.” Accessed June 22, 2025. https://www.dbnl.org.
(Biographical overview and bibliography of D. Bolle’s publishing activities, including movable children’s books.)
LastDodo. “D. Bolle uitgever.” Accessed June 22, 2025. https://www.lastdodo.nl.
(Collector listings showing the range and output of D. Bolle’s imprint, including movable and novelty books.)