Sale 2481 - Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books, June 7, 2018

396 c   (STORYTELLING.) Kamishibai story plates. Complete set of 20 offset color plates in original card portfolio wraps. 10 1 / 4 x14 3 / 4 inches each sheet size; light rubbing and edge wear, a tad musty. Japan, Showa 16 (1941) [400/600] Before television, Kamishibai performers used these illustrations displayed within a miniature stage to narrate shows on the street corners of Japan. The stories were designed to impart a sense of nationalism and morality to children, subtly acting as a tool of propaganda. This story tells of a boy who enjoyed sports and baseball but whose father becomes ill and isn’t able to work.The boy goes off to work until his father regains his stamina; the theme of the story then shifts to the concerns ofWorld War II.The set survives completely intact with the bold graphics very well preserved. 397 c   (TOYS.) [McLoughlin Bros.?] Set of 8 zoo-animal themed ABC picture blocks. Chromolithographed paper covered wooden nesting boxes, the largest 9 1 / 2 x6 3 / 4 x4 1 / 2 inches; moderate wear with expected rubbing and small paper losses but overall surviving quite well. [New York?, circa 1890] [300/500] Playtime. E N D O F S A L E 396 397