The Twelve Dancing Princesses, and Other Fairy Tales Retold by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch

New York: George H Doran Company A very good copy of the first US edition with 16 tipped in colour plates by Kay Nielsen. Undated but 1923. In the original blue cloth binding with gilt decoration to the front board and gilt titles to the spine. The Twelve Dancing Princesses is a shorter version of 'In Powder and Crinoline' which was Kay Nielsen's first proper commission as a book illustrator and was published by Hodder and Stoughton in 1913. The US edition has fewer colour plates but was redesigned by Neilsen, and is a lovely work. Contents: decorative endpapers and half title; tipped-in frontispiece; title; preface, contents and illustration list; six stories each with decorative half title, and 15 further tipped in colour plates with decorative covers. The binding is bright and clean: the front board has a slight bump to the bottom corner; the spine is slightly faded with some pulling; and the back board has a couple of small scuffs and slight indentation to the bottom edge. The contents are in very good clean condition - there is a small signature to the bottom of the rear pastedown endpaper and the stitching is just visible between pp 128/129