Grandfatiier's Pictire-Books
I\ considering thepicture-books belonging to the grandfathers of the young and old among us, we are much indebted to Messrs, Ficld and Tuer for permission to reproduce a numbor of examples from their ** 1,000 Quaint Cuts from Books of Other Days.” Here, to begin with, 1s a set of pictures
lustrating the marvellous history of Tom Thumb. IFirst there 1s a very re- spectable cut representing that critical
moment of the hero's history when he was taken up in & mouthful of grass by a cow. Then we have him astride of his
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THE COW EATS TONM THUMPD.
faithful butterfly, sailing gaily over houses, fhiclds, and trees. Comparing the butterfly with the adjacent tree, it would scem to be about as big as a large crocodile, with wings rather larger than a church door. Then we have the furmety bowl accident. It 13 pleasing to observe, in this picture, the architecturce of the period ot King Arthur,
HE RIDES ON THE BUTTERFLY.
according to the artist. Rows of brick houses, with severely rectangular doors and windows, appear to have been in fashion, while a magnificd bedpost stood at the head
of a flight of steps. In the fourth picture we have the last sad adventure, when the deadly breath of the wicked spider put an end to the doughty deeds, the butterfiy ngs, and the paste-w a]l()wmm ol good Sir Thomas. Obscrve the tunf\nw CXDTCSSTON ot the spider’s face (he 1s a rare kind of spider, by the bye, with a monkev's head), and the e\tmm dnuu\ action whereby he essays * cus one,” which Sir Thomas is to recetve on his shicld. A\ spider who can go through the broadsword cxercise 15 as great a wonder as Sir Thomas himsclf. Next we have Jack the Giant Killer, I'rom the first cut grandfather gathered his
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HE IS SOUSED IN THIT FURNETY.
idecas as to how the first of Jack's famous cxploits—that with Cormoran—was accom- plished. Observe the dark lTantern i the corner—quite up to date, you sce, although Jack was, like Sir Thomas, a contempor- ary of King Arthur. Thenwe have Jack Blumlu bore and his brother, stran- oling them with a rope tied to his window
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HE 1S KILLED BY THE SI'IDER.
frame, trampling all over their heads and shouldels and cutting off their heads hike anything, while they lecan limply on thar clubs. The next cuts tell us all about