The Third Bubble Book by Ralph Mayhew and Burges Johnson (First Edition with Records), 1918 🎶🎯📖

1. Introduction 📜🔍🏛️

This is a first edition of The Third Bubble Book by Ralph Mayhew and Burges Johnson.

Published in 1918 by Harper and Brothers, this book is a record in the history of interactive children's storytelling. It documents a time when book publishing and the recording industry were being combined.

This item documents a new form of entertainment for children. Its design, which incorporates miniature records, makes it a collectible for a library focused on children's literature or the history of illustration.

---

2. About the Book 📖✍️✨

The Third Bubble Book is a collection of children's rhymes and songs. Its design integrates miniature records directly into its pages. The book's content, a collection of rhymes, is a record of Mayhew and Johnson's work. The inclusion of the miniature records, which play songs for the rhymes, creates an interactive experience.

The book's content explores themes of childhood and play, with illustrations by Rhoda Chase. The volume's hardcover binding and decorative pictorial covers are an example of the publishing standards of its era.

---

3. About the Artist/Author/Maker ✍️🏛️✨ Ralph Mayhew and Burges Johnson were American authors and humorists. They are known for their collaboration on the Bubble Book series. Johnson was an editor at Harper's Magazine and a figure in the publishing world.

The illustrations by Rhoda Chase are a part of the book's design. Her drawings document the rhymes. The collaboration of these three individuals provides an example of children's literature from the early 20th century.

---

4. Historical/Political Era Context 🌍🕰️📜

Published in 1918, this book appeared at a time of social and cultural change in the United States. It was the final year of World War I, and American society was experiencing industrialization and technological innovation. The book reflects this period of change with its combination of book publishing and the emerging recording industry.

---

5. The Ideal Collector 💡🧐🏛️

This book is intended for a curator of children's literature, a scholar of early 20th-century American culture, or a collector of books with records. It is an acquisition for an individual who values a book’s historical content and its story as a cultural moment.

---

6. Value & Rarity 💎✨🏛️

This 1918 first edition is a rare find due to its specific historical importance and its fragile nature. The book's value is driven by its status as a collector's item with records. The scarcity of a well-preserved copy with records intact is a factor in its value, as many were lost or damaged over time.

The item is 107 years old.

---

7. Condition 🔎📚✨

This book shows wear consistent with a book from the early 20th century.

• The hardcover binding is solid, and the text block is firm.

• The interior pages are clean, with no major tears or markings.

• The pictorial cover shows some minor wear and scuffing, particularly along the spine and edges.

• The pages show some toning and minor foxing, which is a natural process for paper from this period.

• One of the records is missing, which is a key detail.

• All other pages are present and intact.

---

8. Translation of Inscriptions/Ephemera (Conditional) ✍️📜🔤

This book contains two miniature vinyl records that are designed to be played on a record player. The records are placed inside the book in pockets on the pages. The two records that are present are for the songs "Miss Jennia Jones" and "Lazy Mary."

---

9. Fun Facts & Unique Features 🤓📜🤩

• The book’s concept led the publisher, Harper and Brothers, to produce a series of Bubble Books.

• The records in the book were produced by the Columbia Graphophone Co., a major force in the early recording industry.

• The book is an example of a crossover collectible, appealing to bibliophiles and historians of media.

• The illustrations by Rhoda Chase are a key part of the book's design.