Metal House Containing THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD From The My Bookhouse Series

Children's Book Marketing From A Famous Woman-Owned Firm

Metal House Containing THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD From The My Bookhouse Series

Edited by Olive Beaupre Miller, with poems by Mary Mapes Dodge and Alfred Noyes

(1929)

Rare house-shaped promotional metal book case from the pioneering woman publisher, and containing an early miniature edition of LITTLE ENGINE.

Very good plus.

Price: $1,500.00

Metal House Containing THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD From The My Bookhouse Series

The "My Bookhouse" series was edited by pioneering woman publisher Olive Beaupre Miller, whose company employed a majority woman staff; even her door-to-door salespeople were women, referred to as "Bookhouse Ladies." These Bookhouse Ladies sold the series by subscription, "call[ing] upon mothers in their homes to explain about these wonderful books."
Part of the allure of the Bookhouse series was the Book House itself: a wooden house-shaped container to house the little books, made to fit tiny hands. This much smaller metal version was produced by the Green Duck Company of Chicago for the Bookhouse brand. Fittingly, it has its own mini book included as a "special [...] Christmas surprise": the classic LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD, anthologized along with a number of popular poems from the era. In this metal iteration, meant as a Christmas special, the Bookhouse case is especially rare.

The Object

Chicago: The Bookhouse for Children, (1929). 5'' x 3.25'' x 2.5'' (house); 2.5'' x 2.25'' (book). Original green embossed leatherette covers. Illustrated in color. [60] pages. Contained in small metal house-shaped box, made by Green Duck Co. Box with a few small scuffs to inside and outside. Mild edgewear and a couple of tiny scuffs to wrapper.

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