HOBBY HORSES (WITH RIDERS BY GUINNESS)

(Advertising) HOBBY HORSES (WITH RIDERS BY GUINNESS). [London: Arthur Guinness, Son & Co. (Park Royal) Ltd., 1958]. First edition. 8vo - 6-1/2" x 9-3/8". Full color pictorial stiff paper wrappers with slight signs of handling confined to where the wrappers overlap the textblock. [16]pp. including wrappers. In the book, which is the 1958 issue of the Guinness Doctors' Books, Guinness has "set out to show the joys of recreation". The book is a collection of verses describing the hobbies of the various members of a family who still have hobbies, after the invention of "The Cathode Ray". Of course, the consumption of Guinness is an important part of each of these hobbies! The book is illustrated throughout with whimsical, full color illustrations by Rowland Emmett. The pages of the book are in wonderful condition. The history of the Guinness Doctors' Books are that Bensons, the advertising agency acting on behalf of Guinness at the time, actively sought testimonials from doctors to substantiate and give credibility to the "Guinness Is Good For You" proposition. Thousands were happy to oblige. As a means of encouraging the relationship and fostering goodwill, the agency hit upon the idea of producing collectable, limited-edition soft-back booklets which were sent out to doctors each Christmas from 1933 until 1939; the practice was revived after the war in 1950 and continued until 1966. The themed, lavishly illustrated books, notable for their whimsical charm and overt literary parody, contained many lateral - and often ingenious - references to Guinness, both visual and verbal. Laid into the book is a card printed "With the compliments of Arthur Guinness, etc." The condition of the book is NEAR FINE.…