The Violet Fairy Book by Andrew Lang - 1901

London and New York : William Heinemann and Doubleday Page & Co, 1909 A good copy of the 1st edition in the original decorative cloth binding with decorative endpapers and 15 colour plates by Arthur Rackham. Top page edges blue - bottom edges untrimmed. The plates have captioned tissue-guards. Numerous black and white designs and illustrations. The binding has some edge/corner wear, a little fading to the spine and slight nibbling to top and bottom of spine. There is a slight fade to the outer edge of the front board but the beautiful gilt titles and decoration are clean and bright; and a little spotting to the back board. The whole book has a very slight lean. The decorative endpapers have slight browning - the front pastedown has an ink ownership signature. There is a tissue guarded frontispiece and decorative title page. The contents are in very good condition being clean with only the very occasional spot - the colour plates are beautiful. The tissue guard to plate 11 has a crease. A good copy.

London and New York: William Heinemann and Doubleday, Page & Co, 1928 A fair copy in the original grey decorative cloth binding with designs and 34 tipped-in colour plates by Arthur Rackham. The binding has been rebacked - relaying the original spine and endpapers, so it is nice and tight. There is some bumping to the front top corner and the back board corners. The binding is very clean with some fading and browning to the spine. The original decorative endpapers are free of inscriptions - there is a little grubbiness - the back free endpaper has had a sheet of music pasted to the reverse - the music contains the motifs to Siegfried, the ring and other relevant sections. There is an ink inscription to a preliminary 'To Elizabeth for her "seventeenth" birthday - from Daddy and Mummie with our best love 19 Aug'. There is some spotting to preliminaries and the text pages have a brown tint especially to edges. This book is classed as 'fair' and priced cheaply because there… Read More

London: Hodder and Stoughton A very good copy in red decorative cloth binding with tipped in colour frontispiece and 14 further tipped in colour plates by Edmund Dulac. With numerous designs and black and white illustrations by Dulac. Top page edges gilt. Undated but probably 1920's. The binding is bright and clean . There is a small white mark at the top corner of the front board and very slight fading to the spine, together with slight pulling to the spine. The contents are very clean and in very good condition. Lge octavo.

London: Hodder and Stoughton Limited, 1924 A good to very good copy of the 1st edition - the 'edition du luxe' - in dark blue decorative cloth binding, signed by Kay Nielsen. With 12 tipped-in colour plates, 16 full page black and white plates and numerous designs by Nielsen. This was Nielsen's third book illustration, begun in 1912 but not published until 1924 because of the disruption caused by World War I. It is a beautiful and expensive production, but the changing market for colour plate books meant that it had to have fewer colour plates than Nielsen's earlier works. This book is number 378 of 500 printed. The blue cloth binding has bright gilt decoration and titles to the front board and spine. The front board is bright and clean with light corner and edge wear. The spine is dulled with a lot of pulling to the top and bottom, and the back board is clean but with some scuff marks and light corner and edge wear. There is a small ink spot to the bottom page edges not visible from… Read More

London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1913 A good copy of the 1st trade edition of 'In Powder and Crinoline' with 24 tipped in colour plates and numerous designs by Kay Nielsen. Undated but 1913. This was Kay Nielsen's first published book illustration and his reputation was such that Arthur Quiller-Couch was commissioned to find and rewrite the fairy tales to the title chosen by Nielsen. His illustrations are unique and unforgettable. This copy is in the publisher's quarter cloth binding with grey card boards. The spine has gilt titles and designs and the front board has red titles and grey illustration. The binding is sound but with the usual wear: pulling to the top and bottom of the spine and edge wear to the boards with some browning and marking. The decorative endpapers are present with some light browning and there is some repair to the front endpaper joint. Contents are complete including half title; frontispiece with tissue guard; title page on thick grey paper with red lettering;… Read More

London and New York : William Heinemann and Doubleday Page & Co, 1909 A good copy of the 1st edition in the original decorative cloth binding with decorative endpapers and 15 colour plates by Arthur Rackham. Top page edges blue - bottom edges untrimmed. The plates have captioned tissue-guards. Numerous black and white designs and illustrations. The binding has some edge/corner wear, a little fading to the spine and slight nibbling to top and bottom of spine. There is a slight fade to the outer edge of the front board but the beautiful gilt titles and decoration are clean and bright; and a little spotting to the back board. The whole book has a very slight lean. The decorative endpapers have slight browning - the front pastedown has an ink ownership signature. There is a tissue guarded frontispiece and decorative title page. The contents are in very good condition being clean with only the very occasional spot - the colour plates are beautiful. The tissue guard to plate 11 has a crease. A good copy.

London and New York: William Heinemann and Doubleday, Page & Co, 1928 A fair copy in the original grey decorative cloth binding with designs and 34 tipped-in colour plates by Arthur Rackham. The binding has been rebacked - relaying the original spine and endpapers, so it is nice and tight. There is some bumping to the front top corner and the back board corners. The binding is very clean with some fading and browning to the spine. The original decorative endpapers are free of inscriptions - there is a little grubbiness - the back free endpaper has had a sheet of music pasted to the reverse - the music contains the motifs to Siegfried, the ring and other relevant sections. There is an ink inscription to a preliminary 'To Elizabeth for her "seventeenth" birthday - from Daddy and Mummie with our best love 19 Aug'. There is some spotting to preliminaries and the text pages have a brown tint especially to edges. This book is classed as 'fair' and priced cheaply because there… Read More

London: Hodder and Stoughton A very good copy in red decorative cloth binding with tipped in colour frontispiece and 14 further tipped in colour plates by Edmund Dulac. With numerous designs and black and white illustrations by Dulac. Top page edges gilt. Undated but probably 1920's. The binding is bright and clean . There is a small white mark at the top corner of the front board and very slight fading to the spine, together with slight pulling to the spine. The contents are very clean and in very good condition. Lge octavo.

London: Hodder and Stoughton Limited, 1924 A good to very good copy of the 1st edition - the 'edition du luxe' - in dark blue decorative cloth binding, signed by Kay Nielsen. With 12 tipped-in colour plates, 16 full page black and white plates and numerous designs by Nielsen. This was Nielsen's third book illustration, begun in 1912 but not published until 1924 because of the disruption caused by World War I. It is a beautiful and expensive production, but the changing market for colour plate books meant that it had to have fewer colour plates than Nielsen's earlier works. This book is number 378 of 500 printed. The blue cloth binding has bright gilt decoration and titles to the front board and spine. The front board is bright and clean with light corner and edge wear. The spine is dulled with a lot of pulling to the top and bottom, and the back board is clean but with some scuff marks and light corner and edge wear. There is a small ink spot to the bottom page edges not visible from… Read More

London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1913 A good copy of the 1st trade edition of 'In Powder and Crinoline' with 24 tipped in colour plates and numerous designs by Kay Nielsen. Undated but 1913. This was Kay Nielsen's first published book illustration and his reputation was such that Arthur Quiller-Couch was commissioned to find and rewrite the fairy tales to the title chosen by Nielsen. His illustrations are unique and unforgettable. This copy is in the publisher's quarter cloth binding with grey card boards. The spine has gilt titles and designs and the front board has red titles and grey illustration. The binding is sound but with the usual wear: pulling to the top and bottom of the spine and edge wear to the boards with some browning and marking. The decorative endpapers are present with some light browning and there is some repair to the front endpaper joint. Contents are complete including half title; frontispiece with tissue guard; title page on thick grey paper with red lettering;… Read More