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PREFACE.
period there have been countless successive republications. A French edition of Perrault's Tales of the date of 1698 is in the British Museum, which has the double title of "Contes de ma Mère L'Oye," and "Histoires on Contes du Temps passé." When the earliest version appeared in English I know not; and I should be happy to receive any communications on the subject. I have before me not less than five penny editions of a very primitive sort, printed almost on brown paper; with wood cuts that might be taken as blocks belonging to Pfister of the fifteenth century, or any other early wood engravings. The books are without date: but do not look more than fifty years old.
