London: Burns & Oates, Ltd., 1908. First edition. Publishers red cloth, front cover ruled and lettered in gilt, spine lettered in gilt, plain endpapers. Spine ends a little worn, slight staining to upper cover . Quarto (9 7/16 x 6 3/4 inches; 240 x 171 mm.). Collating xiv, 78. Including monotone frontispiece and ten full- page monotone plates. Light marginal foxing, otherwise an excellent copy of this extremely unusual Louis Wain title.

This is a fascinating little book with very unusual and atypical drawings by Louis Wain. The frontispiece The Wise Old Woman of the Wicklow Hills depicts a witch looking over her cauldron whilst two cats, one black and one white, look on… is at first glance more in the style of the Victorian artist, Sidney Sime. In fact throughout this volume only one of the eleven illustrations Little Fiss and the Wicked Enchanted Bull (facing page 40) is remotely similar to the Louis Wain that we all love, admire and enjoy.

Dale, 93 (Item #3816)