This charming pictorial map by Jaro Hess shows dozens of nursery rhymes and fairy tales set within a magical landscape. Familiar characters such as Hansel & Gretel, Goldilocks, Cinderella, Little Bo Peep, Rip van Winkel, the Pied Piper, Peter Pan, Jack the Giant Killer, and the Cow that jumped over the moon fill the scene. Famous castles, such as Sleeping Beauty's castle, the Emerald City of Oz, Bluebeard's Castle, the City of Brass, and the castle atop Glass Mountain rise above the landscape. This popular "make believe" map was reproduced in the 1950s and again in 1982, however this is the original first edition as evidenced by the "Wandering Jew" near the mermaids at bottom right, who was changed to "The Wanderer" in the 1950s edition. Published by Jaro Hess in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Jaro Hess (1889-1977) was born in Prague, part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the time, and immigrated to the United States as a young adult. Hess performed numerous different jobs, including working as a steelworker, chemist, and horticulturist, before settling in an artist community in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he became known for his drawings and paintings.

References: Rumsey #8153.

Condition: A

An extremely clean and crisp example with no creases or abrasions as found on most other examples. As with many examples of the 1930 edition, this example was originally trimmed to the neatline and dry mounted and has been professionally removed from the backer board. A superbly preserved example.