Germany (No. 641, undated, ca. 1880s)
Hurdy-Burr (Drehbilderbuch / Movable Volvelle Book)
8vo (8.5 × 6.5 inches; 21.5 × 16.5 cm). Original pictorial wrappers. [6] full-page hand-colored illustrations, each featuring a central volvelle mechanism allowing for rotating faces or scenes. Internal stab-stapled binding with all six rotating discs (volvelles) fully intact and functional. No publisher or imprint present. Upper right of the front wrapper bears the handwritten inscription "20ten August 1879" in old German script. The number "641" is printed in the lower right corner of the cover image.
Condition: Very Good. The book is bound in stapled pictorial boards, with the pages still securely attached by the original staples, typical of the binding methods of the time. The book remains in solid condition, with light wear consistent with its age. All movables are fully functional and complete, with no missing or repaired parts, retaining its original state. Interior remarkably well-preserved. Minor wear to edges of wrappers, as expected. Binding staples slightly oxidized but firm. A superior survival of an unrecorded and extremely rare 19th-century mechanical picture book.
Unrecorded 19th-century German volvelle book. Despite extensive bibliographic and digital archive searches (Google Books, KVK, DDB, WorldCat, and standard German bibliographies of movable books), this title — Hurdy-Burr. Ein drolliges drehbares Bilderbuch mit 6 Bildern — does not appear to be listed or digitized in any known institutional collections. Title (interpreted from cover): While difficult to decipher exactly, the title appears in Fraktur script as "Hurdy-Burr" — possibly intended as a dialectical or humorous play on “Hurdy-Gurdy,” referencing the hand-cranked musical instrument. This is supported by the phonetic similarity and the theme of rotating ("dreh") faces, echoing the rotating mechanism of a hurdy-gurdy. The cover depicts a gruesome scene involving chopped-off heads, a theme carried through the interior illustrations, which are equally vivid and macabre.
Date: The handwritten note on the cover reads: "20ten August 1879", suggesting this copy was in use or gifted at that time, though stylistically and technically (e.g. volvelle mechanism, printing, and board structure), it's more likely from the 1880s or possibly early 1890s. Publisher: No publisher is printed anywhere in the book. It is marked simply No. 641, a style common in anonymous German publishers, especially in Nürnberg or Leipzig, who issued numbered picture books for children in this period.
Scene Descriptions:
Scene 1: Family with 3 changing faces. Man, Woman, and Child standing in a fancy room
Scene 2: Drunken Escapade. Three men with 3 changing faces. . Setting: A street at night under a crescent moon. Background includes buildings, a man with a candle stands in a doorway. Characters: Four men — three apparently drunk, one holding a broken umbrella, and a servant or doorman holding a candle.
Scene 3: Sickbed Consultation with 3 changing faces. Setting: A bedroom with traditional tiled stove, a red curtain, and wallpaper. Characters: A patient in bed, a mustached doctor or man in a suit examining him, and a woman (likely the wife or caregiver). The central figure (man standing) holds a monocle or glass and is examining the patient, while the woman leans in with concern.
Scene 4: Countryside Arrest or Capture with 4 changing faces. . Setting: A wooded outdoor area with grass, trees, mushrooms, and flowers. Characters: A woman in red and white peasant dress holding a baby and three men — two in uniform (soldiers or constables), one in rustic garb. The woman appears to be being led away or protected
Scene 5: Reclining Woman and Man. Setting: Indoors, with elaborate wallpaper and gold-toned curtains, a red couch or divan, and a vase of flowers. Characters: A woman reclining seductively on the couch and a man standing. The reclining figure is dressed in a Greco-Roman or Orientalist style, suggesting a courtesan, noblewoman, or femme fatale trope.
Scene 6: Tavern or Game Room with 4 changing faces. . Setting: A modest room with a table, chairs, wooden floor, and a wall clock. Characters: Four men gathered around a table, engaged in a game or argument. They appear to be playing a drinking game or cards.
Collectors Corner:
The grotesque humor, head-switching volvelle scenes, and the carnivalesque violence (decapitations, exaggerated expressions) are all hallmarks of the late 19th-century German moralistic children’s books. This aligns with works from the Struwwelpeter tradition — books designed to both amuse and caution. The visual style—with its bold outlines, caricatured facial features, and macabre whimsy—echoes the influence of George Cruikshank, but is more likely the work of an anonymous German illustrator working in that same satirical vein, possibly influenced by Fliegende Blätter or Wilhelm Busch.
We have found no record of this title in OCLC, KVK, VD19, or national bibliographies, nor any comparable example in the standard histories of movable books. A likely unique survival.
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