The Collection of Edwin A Dawes, Part I

BOSCO, Signor. List of Conundrums Sent in for Competition. (Glasgow: J.B. Woodward), 1857. Yellow printed wrappers with a portrait of Bosco to the upper, illustrated circus advertisement to lower. [1], 2 – 40, [41 – 48]. 8vo. Roland Winder bookplate and “S” label from Sotheby’s sale inside front wrap. Wrappers ragged and chipped, general wear to interior pages, spine nearly separated. SCARCE; not in Toole Stott. See Findlay, Scottish Bibliography (1951), entry 115.Findlay notes, “Perhaps Signor Bosco copied (or was it The Wizard of the North to blame) Anderson with regard to this publication, though from the source of the information regarding the Anderson booklets we gather he was first in the field.” Anderson regularly used conundrum contests to attract large crowds.