THE CLASSIC FAIRY TALES.

UK,Qrto HB minus dw/dj,illustrated 1st edn.VG++. No owner inscrptn, but amateurish removal of an assumed owner bookplate,from top edge of front free endpaper which has also partially removed the top finished grey coloured paper of the endpaper,leaving an exposed white area beneath to concomitant area of bookplate's site.Publisher's bright and reasonably clean,sharp-cornered,original plain RAF blue cloth boards with bright,crisp,blocked gilt lettered author's names+title in an elongated decorated panel to spine/backstrip,a blue+white striped headband and plain charcoal-grey endpapers - the rear pastedown with residual sellotape 'ghost' strip and corresponding partial 'ghost' strip to verso of opposing rear free endpaper.Title page missing with residual evidence of a small tab where removed left in situ.Rear board externally has an indent without any penetration tear to any pages,which has also correspondingly affected in decreasing degree of visibility and touch,as pages count backwards,to approx. pp201 (- from pp255).Top+fore-edges aged/toned with some thumbing/grubbing; contents bright,tight,clean,solid and sound - text body remarkably clean - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corner tips - possibly unread,other than my own collation? UK,Qrto HB minus dw/dj,illustrated 1st edn,5-255pp [paginated] includes co-authors' Prefacecontents list/table with variety of 18th-20thC writer's comments /quotes to the verso,another recto page of remainder of those writers' comments/quotes opposite with a b/w reversible head illustration of Cinderella and the Fairy Godmother by Rex Whistler to its verso,an Introduction,24 fairy tales,each accompanied with contemporary b/w+colour illustrations by assorted contemporary famous illustrators such as Gustav Dore, Kate Greenaway, and George Cruikshankrs etc,,a list of Chief Commentaries consulted, sources of illustrations and an index.
Described hard but honestly and fairly nowhere as bad as it reads or sounds! Visually the exterior appearance is more than acceptable,and even internally,the book is also in an acceptable condition/state of preservation and presentation for a book of it's age.It is only the faults present and described,that prevents a slightly higher grading.Despite them,it really is an acceptable copy for its cleanliness,brightness and informational content. Everyone has at one time been inspired or enchanted by fairy tales, with their evil witches, pure princesses, heroic princes, and happy endings. Yet over the years, most of these popular tales have undergone many transformations, as editors and storytellers have shortened and sentimentalized them, as well as slanted them to suit the demands of the time. Iona and Peter Opie's magnificent 'The Classic Fairy Tales', presents twenty-four of the best-known fairy tales in their original written form. Drawing on years of expertise, the editors provide introductions to each fairy tale, tracing the development of each story and noting points of interest. We learn, for example, that in a 17th century version of "Sleeping Beauty", the prince actually raped the princess in her sleep. Goldilocks, it turns out, evolved from the little old woman of the original story into a young girl. Little Red Ridinghood was actually eaten by the wolf, and in an early version of the "Frog Prince," the princess had to sleep with the frog to free him from his spell.
With classic tales from the likes of Charles Perrault, the Brothers Grimm, and Hans Christian Andersen, and the works of such famous illustrators as Gustav Dore, Kate Greenaway, and George Cruikshank,this book brings to life the charm and beauty of these timeless favorites. Please contact seller,for correct shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas customers - BEFORE ordering through the order page!
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