{"product_id":"1912-rare-first-edition-the-rocket-book-illustrated-by-peter-newell","title":"1912 Rare First Edition - The Rocket Book Illustrated by Peter Newell","description":"\u003cp data-start=\"125\" data-end=\"1282\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"125\" data-end=\"136\"\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e Peter Newell.\u003cbr data-start=\"150\" data-end=\"153\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"153\" data-end=\"163\"\u003eTitle:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem data-start=\"164\" data-end=\"182\"\u003eThe Rocket Book.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"182\" data-end=\"185\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"185\" data-end=\"199\"\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e New York: Harper \u0026amp; Brothers, 1912. First Edition.\u003cbr data-start=\"234\" data-end=\"237\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"237\" data-end=\"250\"\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Text in English.\u003cbr data-start=\"267\" data-end=\"270\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"270\" data-end=\"279\"\u003eSize:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9\" x 7\".\u003cbr data-start=\"291\" data-end=\"294\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"294\" data-end=\"304\"\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e Unpaginated.\u003cbr data-start=\"343\" data-end=\"346\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"346\" data-end=\"358\"\u003eBinding:\u003c\/strong\u003e Attractive and very good publisher’s original pictorial boards in blue cloth with colour-illustrated front cover depicting children watching a rocket’s trail. Plain blue cloth back board and spine (hinges fine, overall slightly worn and scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover.\u003cbr data-start=\"530\" data-end=\"533\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"533\" data-end=\"545\"\u003eContent:\u003c\/strong\u003e Very good content (bright, tight and clean, rare light foxing, staining and toning - as shown, old but neat reinforcement to the inner hinge - as shown). The pages are remarkably clean and crisp, with the distinctive \u003cem data-start=\"795\" data-end=\"818\"\u003edie-cut “rocket hole”\u003c\/em\u003e perfectly intact throughout, demonstrating the trajectory of the rocket as it blasts through each floor of the building.\u003cbr data-start=\"939\" data-end=\"942\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"942\" data-end=\"960\"\u003eIllustrations:\u003c\/strong\u003e Illustrated throughout with Newell’s distinctive color plates, each paired with rhyming text printed in black and red. Each page features a central circular die-cut that represents the rocket’s path through successive floors—an inventive design patented by Newell on June 4, 1912.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"1245\" data-end=\"1248\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"1248\" data-end=\"1261\"\u003eEstimate:\u003c\/strong\u003e (USD 200 – 400).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1289\" data-end=\"1767\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"1289\" data-end=\"1302\"\u003eThe book: \u003c\/strong\u003eFirst edition, published in October 1912, of Peter Newell’s most famous and technically innovative picture book — \u003cem data-start=\"1419\" data-end=\"1437\"\u003eThe Rocket Book.\u003c\/em\u003e A mischievous boy lights a rocket in the basement, and the story follows its chaotic journey upward through a New York apartment building, interrupting the lives of the tenants on each floor. Each scene humorously integrates the same “rocket hole” as it pierces the pages, a concept so original that Newell patented the design.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1769\" data-end=\"2133\"\u003eThis work is a landmark in early 20th-century American book design, combining Newell’s playful verse with his ingenious integration of mechanical elements and visual storytelling. The humor, engineering precision, and narrative flow exemplify Newell’s inventive genius and make \u003cem data-start=\"2047\" data-end=\"2064\"\u003eThe Rocket Book\u003c\/em\u003e one of the most collectible and enduring picture books of its era.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2140\" data-end=\"2685\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"2140\" data-end=\"2155\"\u003eThe author: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"2158\" data-end=\"2188\"\u003ePeter Newell (1862 – 1924)\u003c\/strong\u003e was an American illustrator and humorist celebrated for his inventive children’s books and witty visual gags. A regular contributor to \u003cem data-start=\"2324\" data-end=\"2334\"\u003eHarper’s\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem data-start=\"2336\" data-end=\"2363\"\u003eThe Saturday Evening Post\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem data-start=\"2369\" data-end=\"2375\"\u003eLife\u003c\/em\u003e, Newell was admired for his unique blend of clever mechanical innovation and gentle absurdity. His \u003cem data-start=\"2475\" data-end=\"2486\"\u003eHole Book\u003c\/em\u003e (1908), \u003cem data-start=\"2495\" data-end=\"2507\"\u003eSlant Book\u003c\/em\u003e (1910), and \u003cem data-start=\"2520\" data-end=\"2533\"\u003eRocket Book\u003c\/em\u003e (1912) pioneered interactive book design decades before the term existed, making him one of the true forebears of modern pop-up and kinetic book art.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"MFLIBRA - Antique Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46963815088377,"sku":null,"price":150.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0953\/3348\/files\/20251023Rocket-000.jpg?v=1761258123","url":"https:\/\/mflibra.com\/products\/1912-rare-first-edition-the-rocket-book-illustrated-by-peter-newell","provider":"MFLIBRA - Antique Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}