The Performing Bears – The Pictorial Moving Picture Books (Movable Book)
Publisher: Pictorial Color Book Company, New York
Date: Circa 1922 (first published in Germany, 1914*)
Binding: Half-cloth binding with red cloth spine
Size: 9 1/8" x 7 1/4" (23.3 × 18.2 cm)
Pages: 11 pages, including four tab-activated movable scenes
Description:
A charming early 20th-century movable book from The Pictorial Moving Picture Books series. This edition of The Performing Bears features four delightful, tab-activated color lithographic scenes accompanied by four pages of text. The scenes are printed in vibrant detail and retain their original functionality.
The title page is marked "Pictorial Color Book Company, NY." While the book itself is undated, our research indicates the series was first published in Germany in 1914, and later issued under this American imprint after its incorporation in 1920. A handwritten inscription inside the front cover reads: “To Junior from Aunt Helen and Uncle Carl – Xmas 1922.”
Condition:
Very Good. The spine is strong with the original binding intact. Pages show normal age-related foxing. All four movable scenes are complete and functional. One tab has a tear around the pull area, but no parts are missing. All elements are original and unrestored.
Collector’s Corner:
Learn more about this fascinating series and publisher history at our Movable Book Research Archive: https://www.vintagepopupbooks.com/category-s/1860.htm
Books in this series originally retailed for 35 cents and include:
– Little Red Riding Hood
– The Night Before Christmas
– The Circus
– Puss In Boots
(This listing is for “The Performing Bears” only.)
These titles were documented as new publications in The Dial, Vol. LVI (Jan. 1914), p. 266, and in Publishers Weekly (Vol. 86, 1914) and The Bookseller, Newsdealer, and Stationer (Vol. 40, 1914).
Questions? Email us at [email protected]
Return Policy: All books are returnable within 10 days of receipt if not delighted for any reason.