Bijou Almanac for 1856. Rock Brothers & Co. London. [1855].

64 unnumbered pages. Engraved title vignette, twelve finely engraved monthly vignettes consisting ofKenilworth Castle, Newstead, Abbotsford, Shakespeare's Room in Stratford-upon-Avon, Bridge of Sighs in Venice, Tomb of Abelard and Heloise, Tomb of Juliet, Windsor Castle, Shakespeare's Cliff in Dover, Magna Charta Island, Gloperton cottage, and Thomson's cottage. Engraved throughout on verso only. Some leaves with mild creases and some age-toning. All edges gilt. Original yellow endpapers.  Feint and illegible contemporary inscriptions mainly in pencil. 25 x 30 mm. Publisher's black limp morocco, gilt stamped "BIJOU ALMANACK 1856" within decorative gilt tulip frame and border, on front cover. Somewhat rubbed overall. Lower cover creased and missing upper corner tip. Bondy, 44. Not in Spielmann. Welsh, 1264. WorldCat locates no copies worldwide. Compares favourably with earlier Schloss almanacs. 1856 marks the end of the prime period for these specifically titled "Bijou" almanacs (1845–1856) produced by the Rock Brothers and Payne partnership. Spielmann noted the "miracle of fine and delicate engraving, done consistently and beautifully to an almost unbelievably tiny scale". While all the years in this series of almanacs are uncommon, this particular edition appears to be exceedingly scarce.