1945 Quarto (4°), 23.5×17.5 cm, 257 numbered pages, in Czech. Hard binding with the original dust jacket bearing a colour lithograph. Title leaf printed in black and red. Frontispiece: an original lithograph by Jiří Trnka. The book contains 14 further original full-page colour lithographs signed in pencil "Trnka 49", plus additional illustrations in the text. Translated from the English original by Alois Machovec. Based on the 1848 edition by Bernard Tauchnitz, published in 1945 by Melantrich, second edition. The dust jacket is torn and reinforced with paper tape, the cover shows signs of use. The lithograph on p. 80 is torn 3 cm at the top. Provenance: Galerie Moderna. Frederick Marryat – English writer of adventure stories with nautical themes. Jiří Trnka – Czech visual artist, puppeteer, illustrator, painter, sculptor, writer, screenwriter, costume designer and director of animated films. One of the founders of Czech animated film, a world-renowned creator of puppet films. He cultivated a love of puppets from childhood, as they were made within his family. He was then introduced to puppet theatre by his teacher at the Pilsen secondary school, Josef Skupa. Between 1929 and 1935 he studied at the School of Applied Arts (UPŠ) in Prague. From 1936 he collaborated with the National Theatre in Prague, for which he created sets and costumes. From the 1950s he was increasingly occupied with film and illustration work. As an illustrator, thanks to his original style he soon ranked among the leading Czech illustrators, especially in the field of children's books. In 1945 he became a co-founder of the Bratři v triku studio, and in 1947 he founded the Puppet Film Studio. In 1967 he was appointed professor at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design (VŠUP).