Old Mother Hubbard

Old Mother Hubbard. A Golden Story Book. Pictures by Aurelius Battaglia.Title: Old Mother Hubbard Series: A Golden Story Book Illustrator: Aurelius Battaglia Traditional rhyme: Attributed to Sarah Catherine Martin (1805) / traditional Mother Goose Publisher: World Distributors (Manchester) Limited, Manchester, England (by arrangement with Western Publishing Company Inc., Racine, Wisconsin, U.S.A.) Place of publication: Manchester (printed in Belgium) Date: Copyright © MCMLXX, MCMLXXIII, MCMLXXV, MCMLXXVI (1970, 1973, 1975, 1976). UK edition, mid-1970s printing. Pages: 24 pp. (typical) This is a scarce-to-uncommon UK market edition of the classic nursery rhyme, issued as “A Golden Story Book.” It features the well-known verses beginning “Old Mother Hubbard / Went to the cupboard, / To get her poor dog a bone…” and continuing through the dog’s successive mischievous activities (dead, laughing, smoking a pipe, licking the dish, feeding the cat, dancing a jig, playing the flute, riding a goat, reading the news, etc.), ending with the mutual curtsey and bow. The illustrations are by the American artist and animator Aurelius Battaglia (1910–1984). Born in Washington, D.C., to Sicilian immigrant parents, Battaglia studied at the Corcoran School of Art. In the late 1930s, he joined Walt Disney Studios, contributing to story work on Pinocchio, Fantasia and Dumbo. He later directed the BAFTA-nominated UPA short The Invisible Moustache of Raoul Dufy and became a prolific children’s-book illustrator for Golden Press and others, known for bold colour, expressive line and mid-century cartoon charm. The original American Golden Press / Little Golden Book version first appeared in 1970. This British edition was published by World Distributors (Manchester) Limited (the long-established Manchester firm of the Pemberton brothers, active in children’s books, annuals and licensed material from 1945 onward). The copyright page explicitly states “Published in Great Britain by World Distributors (Manchester) Limited… by arrangement with Western Publishing Company Inc., Racine, Wisconsin, U.S.A. Printed in Belgium.” The multiple copyright years reflect the underlying Western Publishing material (1970) together with subsequent UK printings. Bibliographic details for this specific edition Cover: white boards with the title “Old Mother Hubbard” in multicoloured lettering and the line “A Golden Story Book”; front-cover illustration of Mother Hubbard facing the dog seated in an ornate chair wearing a red fez and smoking a pipe. Interior: full-colour illustrations by Battaglia throughout; endpapers or patterned papers with repeating gold-line motifs of animals and objects. Copyright statement matches the 1970–1976 sequence above; “Pictures by Aurelius Battaglia” appears on the title spread. This UK “Golden Story Book” format is distinct from the more common American blue-spine Little Golden Book issue of the same illustrations and is sought by collectors of British Golden Books, World Distributors titles and Battaglia’s work. The text remains the traditional rhyme; no modernisation of the verses is present. Condition: Very Good. A clean, well-preserved copy of this mid-1970s UK Golden Story Book edition. Boards show light edge rubbing and minor corner wear consistent with age and careful handling; the gold spine strip has slight scuffing but remains intact and attractive. Interior pages are bright and unmarked, with the full-colour Aurelius Battaglia illustrations clean and vivid throughout; no tears, writing, or significant creasing. Binding is tight and square. Overall a very good example of the World Distributors (Manchester) printing, suitable for both reading and collecting. A charming and well-illustrated mid-1970s British printing of a nursery-rhyme classic, attractive both as a reading copy for young children and as a collectible example of Aurelius Battaglia’s Golden Book work. …