HOFFMANN, Heinrich. Struwwelpeter (From the library of Charlie Watts, The Rolling Stones)

London: George Routledge & Sons, Ltd., [c.1909]. Quarto. pp. [24] printed on rectos only, illustrated throughout in colour. Original publisher’s pictorial boards with green cloth spine. Printed in Holland. Rear board with publisher’s advertisement for Routledge’s One Syllable Series. Light age-toning and occasional marks to boards, a little rubbing to extremities, internally remarkably fresh with bright colour illustrations. A very good copy.

An attractive early twentieth-century English edition of Heinrich Hoffmann’s celebrated Struwwelpeter, first published in Frankfurt in 1845. Written by the German physician as a Christmas gift for his young son after failing to find a suitably illustrated children’s book, the work became one of the most influential picture books ever published. Its vividly coloured cautionary tales—including Shock-headed Peter, Little Suck-a-Thumb, Fidgety Philip, and Flying Robert—combined dark humour with moral instruction and transformed Victorian children’s literature. The book rapidly achieved international success, inspiring countless imitations and translations, while its striking illustrations have remained instantly recognisable for over 175 years. This Routledge issue, printed in Holland and advertised as part of the publisher’s popular One Syllable Series, is generally dated to around 1909–1910.

A particularly desirable association copy, from the library of Charlie Watts (1941–2021), the legendary drummer of The Rolling Stones. Renowned not only as one of rock music’s most respected musicians but also as a discerning collector, Watts assembled libraries reflecting his lifelong interests in illustration, design, jazz, history and rare books. Books bearing his provenance are increasingly sought after, adding a distinguished twentieth-century cultural association to an already iconic children’s classic.

[WR]