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FIRE-SIDE

PICTURE ALPHABET

OF HUMOUR AND DROLL MORAL TALESOR WORDS & THEIR MEANINGS ILLUSTRATED

BOSTON

MAYHEW & BAKER. 208 WASHINGTON ST. 

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MAYHEW & BAKER, 208 Washington St. , Boston, Publish the following list of new and beautiful Illustrated Juveniles, for Children:

KING JOLLYBOY'S

ROYAL STORY BOOK, FOR

LITTLE FOLKS. 

Large Quarto, printed in red and black, on thick, heavy paper, andunsurpassed for style of printing by any American publication. New anddelightful moral stories, with comic Illustrations. 

PRICE 50 CENTS. 

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A COMPANION TO "FIVE LITTLE PIGS. "

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THE WONDERFUL ADVENTURES

OF

THE LITTLE MAN AND HIS LITTLE GUN. 

 There was a Little Man, and he had a little gun, And the bullets were made of lead, lead, lead; He went to the brook, and he shot a little duck, And he hit her right through the head, head, head. 

With New and Original Comic Illustrations, Music, &c. 

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MAYHEW AND BAKER, 208 WASHINGTON STREET, AND ALL BOOKSELLERS. 

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AMUSEMENT FOR CHILDREN. 

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HOME PASTIMES, OR THE CHILD'S OWN TOY MAKER. 

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BEAUTIFULLY PRINTED IN COLORS, ON THICK PASTEBOARD, With full directions to cut out and paste together, making anassortment of Wheelbarrows, Cabs, Railway Cars, Carriages, Windmills, &c. , that can be made to move. Now ready, No. 1. Charlie's Wheelbarrow. No. 3. Miss Hattie's French Bedstead. No. 2. Frank's Sledge. No. 4. Tom Thumb's Carriage. 

NEW TOYS IN PREPARATION. 

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A MANUAL OF CRICKET AND BASE BALL, Illustrated with Plans for Laying out the Grounds and forming Clubs, to which are added Rules and Regulations for Cricket, adopted by the

MARYLEBONE CLUB. 

Also, Rules and Regulations which govern several Base Ball Clubs. 

PRICE 25 CENTS. 

Sent by Mail, Prepaid, on receipt of the Price in Stamps. 

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MAYHEW AND BAKER, 208 WASHINGTON STREET, AND ALL BOOKSELLERS. 

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Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1858, by MAYHEW &BAKER, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District ofMassachusetts. 

PRINTED BY ALFRED MUDGE & SON, _No. 34 School St. , opp. City Hall, Boston. _

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ENGRAVED BY JOHN ANDREW

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[Illustration: LAUGH AND LEARN]

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THE

FIRESIDE

PICTURE ALPHABET. 

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BOSTON:MAYHEW & BAKER, 208 WASHINGTON STREET. 

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POETICAL PREFACE

TO THE

FIRESIDE PICTURE ALPHABET. 

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TO PRECEPTORS. 

 With learning may laughter be found; "'Tis good to be merry and wise;" To gayly get over the ground, As higher and higher we rise. 

 Some children their letters may learn, While others will surely do more, As the subjects suggestively turn To matters not thought of before. 

 Descriptions and pictures combined Are here made attractive and clear; So suited that children may find From error the truth to appear. 

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A a. 

ABLUTION, _The Act of Cleansing_. 

 The little sweep has washed his face, But not as we advise; For black as soot he's made the soap, And rubbed it in his eyes. 

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B b. 

BARTER, _Exchange_. 

 Here's Master Mack presenting fruit, Of which he makes display; He knows he'll soon have Lucy's rope, And with it skip away. 

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C c. 

CATASTROPHE, _a Final Event_, (_generally unhappy_. )

 "O, here's a sad catastrophe!" Was Mrs. Blossom's cry; Then--"Water! water! bring to me-- Or all my fish will die. "

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D d. 

DELIGHTFUL, _Pleasant_, _Charming_. 

 These boys are bathing in the stream When they should be at school; The master's coming round to see Who disregards his rule. 

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E e. 

ECCENTRICITY, _Irregularity_, _Strangeness_. 

 We often see things seeming strange; But scarce so strange as this:-- Here every thing is mis-applied, Here every change amiss. 

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F f. 

FRAUD, _Deceit_, _Trick_, _Artifice_, _Cheat_. 

 Here is Pat Murphy, fast asleep, And there is Neddy Bray; The thief a watchful eye doth keep Until he gets away. 

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G g. 

GENIUS, _Mental Power_, _Faculty_. 

 A little boy with little slate May sometimes make more clear The little thoughts that he would state Than can by words appear. 

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H h. 

HORROR, _Terror_, _Dread_. 

 This little, harmless speckled frog Seems Lady Townsend's dread; I fear she'll run away and cry, And hide her silly head. 

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I i. J j. 

ICHABOD AT THE JAM. 

ICHABOD, _a Christian Name_. 

JAM, _a Conserve of Fruits_. 

 Enough is good, excess is bad; Yet Ichabod, you see, Will with the jam his stomach cram, Until they disagree. 

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K k. 

KNOWING, _Conscious_, _Intelligent_. 

 Tho' horses know both beans and corn, And snuff them in the wind, They also all know Jemmy Small, And what he holds behind. 

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L l. 

LUCKY, _Fortunate_, _Happy by Chance_. 

 We must admire, in Lovebook's case, The prompt decision made, As he could not have gained the wood If time had been delayed. 

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M m. 

MIMIC, _Imitative_, _Burlesque_. 

 The Gentleman, who struts so fine, Unconscious seems to be Of imitation by the boy Who has the street-door key. 

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N n. 

NEGLIGENCE, _Heedlessness_, _Carelessness_. 

 The character Tom Slowboy bears Would much against him tell, For any work that's wanted done, Or even play done well. 

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O o. 

OBSTINACY, _Stubbornness_, _Waywardness_. 

 The obstinacy of the pig Is nature--as you see; But boys and girls who have a mind Should never stubborn be. 

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P p. 

PETS, _Favorites_, _Spoilt Fondlings_. 

 Some people say that Aunty Gray To animals is kind; We think, instead, they are over fed, And kept too much confined. 

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Q q. 

QUANDARY, _A Doubt_, _a Difficulty_. 

 Dame Partlett's in difficulty, And looks around with doubt; Let's hope, as she some way got in, She may some way get out. 

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R r. 

RIVALRY, _Competition_, _Emulation_. 

 In every competition prize This should be kept in view-- Whoever wins should be the one Who does deserve it too. 

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S s. 

SLUGGARD, _An Inactive, Lazy Fellow_. 

 To lie so many hours in bed You surely must be ill, And need some physic, Master Ned, As birch, or draught, or pill!

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T t. 

TOPSY-TURVY, _Upside Down_, _Bottom Top_. 

 Here's Topsy-Turvy, upside down, The ceiling seems the base; Reverse the ground and 'twill be found The things are out of place. 

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U u. V v. 

UNCOMMON VEGETATION. 

UNCOMMON, _Rare_, _not Frequent_. 

VEGETATION, _the Power of Growth_. 

 Th' uncommon vegetation, here, With art has much to do; The trees are nature, but the fruit Uncommon and untrue. 

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W w. 

WONDER, _Admiration_, _Astonishment_. 

 The wise may live and wonder still, However much they know, But simple Giles has wonder found Within the penny show. 

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X x. 

NO ENGLISH WORD BEGINS WITH THIS LETTER. 

XANTIPPE, _A Greek Matron_, _Wife of Socrates_. 

 Here's Socrates and Xantippe-- Philosopher and wife-- For gentleness renowned was he; She, better known for strife. 

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Y y. 

YEARN, _To Grieve_, _to Vex_. 

 Miss Cross has tried to reach the grapes, She's tried and tried again-- And now she's vexed to think that all Her efforts are in vain. 

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Z z. 

ZANY, _A Buffoon_, _a Merry Andrew_. 

 Here's Zany reading in a book, With heels above his head; And, judging by his laughing look, Finds fun in what he's read. 

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"HERE'S A NICE BOOK FOR THE HOLIDAYS. "

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WILLIS, THE PILOT, A SEQUEL TO THE

SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON;

Or, Adventures of an Emigrant Family wrecked on an unknown coast ofthe Pacific Ocean; interspersed with Tales, Incidents of Travel, andIllustrations of Natural History. 

BEAUTIFULLY ILLUSTRATED. 

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From the many favorable Notices of the Press, read the following:

"The scene is laid chiefly in the South Seas, and the narratorillustrates the geography and ethnology of that section of the farWest. Some of the adventures are marvellous indeed, and Willis is arich specimen of a hardy, fearless, and honest tar. "

"This book takes up the story of 'The Swiss Family Robinson, ' andcarries it forward to a happy termination. The style and spirit of thestory is preserved with admirable effect; and if any thing, 'Willis, the Pilot, ' is of greater interest and more instructive than thecharming story out of which it grows. "

"'The Swiss Family Robinson' never seemed to quite finish its story, and the author of 'Willis, the Pilot, ' has hit upon a happy idea incarrying out and completing the tale; and he has executed the workexceedingly well, and will confer a new delight upon the thousandswho have been entranced by the tale of the Swiss Family, and will herepursue the narrative of their adventurous life. The publishers of thevolume have dressed it up in very attractive style. The illustrationsare numerous, spirited, and handsomely done. "

"Abundance of adventures, serious and comic, funny expedients anddevices, odd turns of fortune, all combine to charm and fix theattention of the young reader; while science and fact are skilfullyinwoven with the details of the story. A pleasant book for a Christmasgift, and just the thing for the long winter nights. "

MAYHEW AND BAKER, 208 WASHINGTON STREET, AND ALL BOOKSELLERS. 

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A GAME FOR ALL SEASONS. 

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NEARLY READY, THE NEW GAME

OF

TOURNAMENT & KNIGHTHOOD, PRINTED IN COLORS, ON THICK PASTEBOARD, WITH EMBOSSED COUNTERS. 

TWO GAMES ON ONE BOARD. 

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The combats of the knights, in the days of chivalry, on "The Field ofthe Cloth of Gold, " served to display the skill and dexterity ofthe combatants in feats of arms. The new Tournament, or _bloodless_battle, is so arranged that, while it requires both skill anddexterity in one game, the other is both simple and amusing. One willrequire considerable shrewdness in an old chess or whist player, whilethe other can be played by small children. 

Full Directions accompany each Game. 

PRICE 75 CENTS. 

SENT BY MAIL, PREPAID, ON RECEIPT OF THE PRICE. 

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MAYHEW AND BAKER, 208 WASHINGTON STREET, AND ALL BOOKSELLERS. 

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