Tenniel (Sir John) and Thomas Barrett. The ever-so-many Nights Tales - not Arabian, Containing Most Graphic Illustrations of Beauty, Sentiment, Song, The Drama, History & all that sort of thing, title with several vignettes, and 60 humorous scenes, most signed 5/12ths [Thomas Barrett], 2 monogrammed by Tenniel, also including 3 mock seals on card discs, charcoal, coloured chalks and pastel, most on pale grey wove paper mounted on dark grey album leaves, a few, including title, direct on leaves, most with title captions inscribed in body white, half-morocco album, little worn, preserved in later morocco-backed box, with gilt-lettered morocco label to upper panel 'The Book of Beauty by Sir John Tenniel & Mr T. Barrett', folio, [c.1844].

⁂ Sir John Tenniel (1820-1914) dined regularly at the home of his friends, Mr and Mrs Thomas Barrett, where they would amuse themselves by creating these drawings. They are all three represented by one of the mock seals, that of Tenniel is inscribed 'Sigillum Johannis X.I.L - AD 1844'. Thomas Barrett signed himself '5/12ths' as an affectionate reference to his wife being his better half.