S. W. Partridge & Co.
Father Time – Toy Book (Movable Book with Clock)
London: S. W. Partridge & Co., [ca. 1904]. Printed in Holland.
First or early edition (no asterisk in 1904 publisher catalog). Quarto (11 x 9 inches; 280 x 230 mm). [14]pp. Original chromolithographed pictorial boards, featuring a central die-cut clock face with real movable hands affixed to front cover. Illustrated throughout with vibrant color scenes representing games and seasonal activities for each month of the year. Text printed in verse. Bound in cloth-backed boards.
The mechanical component consists of a functioning clock dial on the cover, allowing the child to move the hour and minute hands manually. This engaging feature links the passing of time to the monthly calendar of children’s activities within. Internal illustrations are printed on thick glossy stock. Printed in Holland for the English market.
Condition: Very Good. Clock hands complete and functional. Boards show light chipping to lower front corner and a mild crease to upper right. Inner pages bright and clean. Binding sound and original. A well-preserved example of this scarce mechanical novelty.
Provenance: Listed in Catalogue of Popular Illustrated Books (London: S. W. Partridge & Co., 1904), under "One Shilling Toy Books" but notably not marked with an asterisk, indicating that it was not new in 1904 and may date earlier. This edition includes no printed date, which is typical for Partridge’s toy books of the period.
The publisher’s catalogs featured a variety of price tiers, and by 1904, Partridge’s “One Shilling Toy Books” line included Father Time, described as “A Novel Mechanical Toy Book…with beautifully reproduced illustrations of the games played during each month of the year.”
Rarity: Despite extensive searching through catalogs like WorldCat, Open Library, archive.org, and historical publisher records, Father Time shows zero holdings in any public or academic collection.
Collector’s Corner About the Publisher:
S. W. Partridge & Co. was founded by Samuel William Partridge in London in 1850, and became one of Britain’s prominent religious and juvenile publishers. The firm issued a wide range of Christian literature, improving stories, and richly illustrated books for children. In addition to books, they published religious tracts and the popular periodical The British Workman.
By the 1880s and 1890s, the company expanded into childrens toy books, often produced in Holland or Germany, and released titles that blended moral instruction with playful illustrations. Searches of archive.org, WorldCat, and 1900s catalogs showed many Partridge titles (annuals, illustrated stories, religious works, traditional toy books), but no other ones with mechanical or movable features.
As a point of historical interest, S. W. Partridge & Co. published The British Workman and Friends of Toil (1855–1921), a monthly periodical issued by the Religious Tract Society and aimed at the working class. Combining moral, religious, and social teachings, it reflected the firm’s broader mission of ethical instruction through accessible literature. Items published by the Religious Tract Society are often considered collectible, especially those from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Among these is The British Workman and Friend of the Sons of Toil , authored by Thomas Bywater Smithies and published by S. W. Partridge & Co. Recognized by scholars as culturally important, this periodical combined moral and religious instruction with accessible content aimed at working-class families.
According to The Writers' and Artists' Year Book 1939, the company was acquired by A. & C. Black in 1930. I seems have ceased publishing during World War II.
Relatively few of its novelty books survive today, especially those incorporating mechanical elements. Father Time is one of the only known clock-faced mechanicals produced by Partridge, and no other titles of this design have yet been identified.
References:
S. W. Partridge & Co. Catalogue of Popular Illustrated Books, Classified According to Prices. London: S. W. Partridge & Co., 8 & 9 Paternoster Row, 1904.
Curiosmith. “S. W. Partridge and Co.” Curiosmith, accessed July 11, 2025. https://curiosmith.com/pages/s-w-partridge-and-co.
The University of Texas at Austin, Harry Ransom Center. “S. W. Partridge and Co.” British Book Trade Index, Firms Out of Business.
Van Gogh, Vincent. "Letter 273: To Theo van Gogh. The Hague, Tuesday, 2 May 1882." Vincent van Gogh: The Letters. Edited by Leo Jansen, Hans Luijten, and Nienke Bakker. Amsterdam: Van Gogh Museum, 2009. Accessed July 11, 2025. https://vangoghletters.org/vg/letters/let273/notes.html.
The British Workman and Friend of the Sons of Toil, edited by Thomas Bywater Smithies, 1855–1921. Published monthly by S. W. Partridge & Co. Recognized in preservation efforts and reprint editions for its cultural significance. See HathiTrust catalog entry: https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/006789143.