History of Tom Thumb, The. [unknown printer or publisher]. London. Circa 1820.

8 pages. One woodcut illustration of ducks by a pond. "In Arthur's Court Tom Thumb did live;|A Man of mickle Might,| The best of all the Table round,| And eke a doughty Knight".    Chapbook that has a central horizontal crease with marginal short closed tears, not affecting the text. Leaves uniformly age-toned. No inscriptions. 47 x 65 mm. Original orange printed wrappers, stab bound. Covers worn with marginal edge-wear. Spine partially split but still holding. Fragile. Not in Bondy, nor Gumuchian, nor Spielmann, nor Welsh. WorldCat locates no copies of this eight-page London edition worldwide. This poem is part of the first English fairy tale ever recorded in print. It contrasts Tom’s tiny stature -an inch high- with his great strength and bravery, depicting him as a match for even the most famous knights such as Sir Lancelot. He was created through Merlin's magic after his father wished for a son, even if he were "no bigger than his thumb". The ballad famously describes his miniature equipment: a hat made of an oaken leaf, a shirt of spider's web, and shoes made of mouse skin. the story of Tom Thumb was a staple of chapbooks—inexpensive, mass-produced booklets sold by "chapmen" (traveling peddlers) throughout London and the UK. These were typically printed on a single sheet of paper folded to create 8, 12, or 16 pages.