OuidaLivre Rare Book
A Staircase of Stories
1918ref. 16025London: T. C. & E. C. Jack Ltd 1918. Hardcover. Good. Hardcover. Descend into the depths of enchantment on a spiral staircase of stories by the Brothers Grimm Hans Christian Andersen Nathaniel Hawthorne Maria Edgeworth Ouida the women's suffragist animal rights activist and socialist Mary de Morgan and more! In this circa 1918 collection bound in cloth the color of pumpkin spice and bearing a witch whisking away a slumbering child on its cover you'll encounter a girl who marries a skull magic candles that summon fairies good or bad based on one's intentions enchanted streams guarded by fearsome dragons and a princess who escapes the unbearable politeness of the court when a witch places an automaton in her stead as well as timeless tales from Celtic Norse Italian West African Russian Japanese Greek and Arthurian folklore. This "staircase of stories" is arranged by ascending complexity for growing readers from ages 4 to 14 and beyond bountifully illustrated in a color frontispiece by Minnie Dibdin Spooner 30 colored plates and 41 black and white plates 4 of which have been colored in rather well by a previous reader by such artists as Cecile Walton Katharine Cameron Olive Allen Evelyn Beale Cecil Aldin and the great Walter Crane. 9 1/4" X 6 3/4". viii iv 521pp. Presents nicely in protective archival jacket. Bound in deep orange cloth over boards with color pictorial plate of M. D. Spooner's rendering of the witch and princess from Mary de Morgan's "The Toy Princess" to upper board lettered in black to upper board and spine with small vignettes of owls and staircase stamped in black. Moderate wear to binding with rubbing bumping and small tears to corners and head and tail of spine as well as faint scattered scratching and soiling to cloth. Substantial foxing to edges of text block and preliminaries with scattered foxing to pages throughout and small neat tear to margin of pages 25-26. Bookseller's ticket of J. J. Banks & Son of Imperial Library Cheltenham to front pastedown. Toning to endpapers. Binding is sound. Fully illustrated throughout in 31 color plates and 41 black and white plates with black and white plates facing pages 235 286 509 and 514 colored in rather well by a previous owner. Christmas card signed Maude and drawing of sailboats laid in. T. C. & E. C. Jack, Ltd hardcover
Underground Books, ABAA · Estados UnidosUS$ 135,00≈ € 120,37
