Ernest Nister (Publisher)
Changing Pets. By Constance M. Lowe. Illustrated by H. K. Robinson. (Movable Book)
London: Ernest Nister; Printed in Bavaria; New York: E. P. Dutton, [1901]. First edition. Publisher’s No. 770. 8vo (8 x 6.5 inches). [16] pages. Original color pictorial paper-covered boards. Red cloth backstrip. Color-printed floral endpapers.
Five color lithographed plates with movable flaps. Each chromolithographed scene features a half-page flap, mounted along the top edge, which—when flipped using a small attached ribbon—reveals an alternate version of the image beneath. Plates depict charming scenes of children with domestic animals: a poodle being trimmed, rabbits fed in a hutch, horses in the stable, a cow and sheep in pasture, and a fanciful tea party with dolls and cats. Verses accompany each plate. One of the plates, Reflection, featuring a dog and rabbit, is not listed in Hunt's bibliography of Nister titles, indicating a variant or previously undocumented image.
The book also includes 17 additional black-and-white illustrations by H. K. Robinson interspersed throughout the text, further enhancing its narrative charm.
Condition: Very good. All movable flaps and plates are in excellent original condition. Ribbons are all present; one has been professionally reattached. Pages are clean and bright without tears or smudging. Original staples intact. Boards are crisp with only minor edge wear. Spine cloth is near fine. Neatly penned gift inscription dated 1903 on front free endpaper.
Quite scarce and unusual. A well-preserved example of an inventive early 20th-century Nister mechanical book.
Collector’s Corner
E. P. Dutton
Edward Payson Dutton (1831–1923) was a pioneering American bookseller and publisher who founded E. P. Dutton & Co. in Boston in 1852. Initially a retail bookselling business, Dutton opened a branch office in New York City in 1864 and, by 1869, had relocated his headquarters there and formally entered the publishing industry. Known for his discerning taste and commitment to quality, Dutton quickly became a leading importer and distributor of fine European books, especially for children.
Beginning in 1888, Dutton established a lasting partnership with the innovative German-British printer and publisher Ernest Nister, whose richly chromolithographed movable and transformation books were printed in Bavaria. Through this collaboration, Dutton became the exclusive American distributor of many of Nister’s works, making some of the most sophisticated mechanical and illustrated children’s books of the Victorian era widely available to American audiences.
By the early twentieth century, E. P. Dutton had expanded its reach, becoming the exclusive U.S. distributor of the Everyman’s Library series from J. M. Dent and publishing both children’s and adult titles by leading authors of the day. After Dutton’s death in 1923, the firm was reorganized under longtime employee John Macrae, who had joined the company as an office boy decades earlier. In 1928, the publishing and retail divisions were split into separate entities, with Macrae continuing to operate the publishing arm as E. P. Dutton and Company, Inc.
The firm launched its Unicorn imprint for children’s books, which continued through the 1990s, and became one of the oldest continuously operating children’s publishers in the United States. Over the following decades, Dutton published works by an impressive roster of literary voices including John Irving, Joyce Carol Oates, Gavin Maxwell, and Françoise Sagan.
In 1975, E. P. Dutton was acquired by the Dutch publisher Elsevier, and the following year the company expanded by acquiring Hawthorn Books. After several ownership changes, including a sale to Dyson-Kissner-Moran in 1981 and an acquisition by New American Library in 1985, Dutton was ultimately folded into Penguin Group in 1986. It was then split into two imprints—Dutton and Dutton Children’s Books—both of which continue today under Penguin Random House.
Ernest Nister (1841–1906): Innovator of Movable Books
Ernest Nister was a pioneering German-born publisher and printer whose influence on late 19th-century children’s books—particularly movable and transformation books—was both artistic and technical. Born in Darmstadt, Nister established a major chromolithographic printing operation in Nuremberg, where he developed new standards for illustrated and mechanical books for children.
In 1888, Nister opened a London branch at 22 St. Bride Street, allowing him to distribute his Bavarian-printed works throughout Britain and the United States. His English-language books were known for their high production values, narrative whimsy, and mechanical ingenuity—qualities that helped transform children’s publishing during the Victorian era. Nister is often credited as one of the first to engineer true automatic pop-ups that sprang into shape as the page was opened, rather than requiring manual activation.
He specialized in chromolithographed illustrations, many of them delicately die-cut and tiered in layers. He frequently collaborated with artists like E. Stuart Hardy and writers like L. L. Weedon. His books included dissolving images, revolving mechanisms, transformation scenes, and intricate pull-down panoramas. Rather than relying solely on fantasy, many of his titles embraced moral, educational, or domestic themes meant to appeal to middle-class Victorian sensibilities.
Nister’s dual operations in Nuremberg and London allowed him to merge German printing excellence with English literary traditions. Many of his works were also distributed in America by E. P. Dutton, giving his books a transatlantic reach. Though he died in 1906, Nister’s publishing house continued under his name until roughly 1916.
References
Haining, Peter. Movable Books: An Illustrated History. London: New English Library, 1979.
— Offers a historical overview of movable and pop-up books, including Ernest Nister’s role in popularizing mechanical children's books in the late 19th century.
Peeps into Nisterland: A Guide to the Children's Books of Ernest Nister. Private publication, 1990s.
— A collector’s guide documenting titles published by Ernest Nister, including The Land of Long Ago, and dating it to 1898. Exact bibliographic details may vary depending on the edition.
Robinson, H. K., and Constance M. Lowe. Changing Pets: With Verses. London: Ernest Nister; New York: E. P. Dutton, [c. 1893].
— An example of a jointly issued movable book by Nister and Dutton, illustrating their transatlantic collaboration.
Hunt, Peter. Children’s Literature: An Illustrated History. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995.
— Title referenced for Nister bibliographic records and historical context in children's literature.
Syracuse University Libraries. “E. P. Dutton Papers.” Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University. Accessed July 10, 2025. https://library.syracuse.edu/digital/guides/e/ep_dutton.htm
— Archival source detailing the history of E. P. Dutton as a publishing house and its distribution relationship with Ernest Nister.
University of Virginia. “Pop Goes the Page: Ernest Nister.” Pop Goes the Page Exhibit. University of Virginia Special Collections, 2015. Accessed July 10, 2025. https://explore.lib.virginia.edu/exhibits/show/popgoesthepage/walkthrough/nister
— Offers scholarly commentary on Nister’s use of narrative framing, design elements, and historical printing practices.
Royal Academy of Arts. “Ernest Nister (1841–1906).” Accessed July 10, 2025. https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/art-artists/name/ernest-nister
— Brief biography of Nister with focus on his publishing career and significance in 19th-century book arts.
Wikipedia contributors. “E. P. Dutton.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Last modified July 3, 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._P._Dutton
— General overview of E. P. Dutton’s publishing history, including its acquisitions, imprints, and legacy in children’s literature.