Andrew Lang (1849-1912) Scottish, (5) Folio Society Editions of Fairy Books. Includes five exquisitely bound and illustrated editions of the stories published in the final years of the author's life.
Size: (each) 10 X 7 3/4 in.
#6487 .
Andrew Lang (1849 - 1912) was a Scottish poet, novelist, and literary critic, best known as a collector of folk and fairy tales. The Fairy Books are a series of collections of true and fictional stories for children published between 1889 and 1913 by Lang and his wife, Leonora Blanche Alleyne, and the books here come from his collection known as Andrew Lang’s Coloured Fairy Books or Andrew Lang’s Fairy Books of Many Colors, where each book is distinguished by its own color. The series were immensely popular and had a great influence on children’s literature and authors such as Kate Wiggin, among others.
The Blue Fairy Book was the first book in the series and was published in 1889, and the first edition was limited to 5000 copies. The Folio Society edition is a sixth printing from 2008 and has a blue binding with black lettering and red, white, and gilt decorations on the spine and front cover, blue endpapers with gilt decorations, paintings and decorations were done by Charles van Sandwyk, it says 2003 on the title page and 2008 on the copyright page, with 372 pages of text and a blue topstain, and it comes with a matching slipcase. The book measures 10 x 7 3/4 and is in great condition, with a tight binding, clean pages and text, clean colored and black and white illustrations, and the slipcase is in very good condition too.
The Red Fairy Book was first published at Christmas in 1890 and the first printing had a run of only 10,000 copies. The Folio Society version is a first edition by the Folio Society, with black lettering, red and gilt decorations on the spine, green, white, and gilt decorations on the front cover, green endpapers with gilt decorations, the paintings and decorations were done by Niroot Puttapipat, the title page and copyright page both say 2008, which makes this a first edition by the Folio Society, it has 380 pages of text, and it comes with a matching slipcase. The book measures 10 x 7 3/4 inches wide and is in great condition, with a tight binding and clean pages and text, clean colored and black and white illustrations, and the slipcase is in very good condition too, with just flight fading on the spine. We found only five copies listed on the rare book website we use, and prices range from $135 to $380 for the book and slipcase.
The Yellow Fairy Book was first published in 1894, in a printing of 15,000 copies, and it features many stories by Hans Christian Andersen. The Folio Society version is a first edition published in 2008 and it’s a first edition because the dates on the title page and copyright page match, it has black lettering with silver and green decorations on the spine and front cover, green endpapers with silver decorations, the paintings and decorations were done by Danuta Mayer, it has 358 pages of text and it comes with the original green slipcase. The book measures 10 x 7 3/4 inches and is in great condition, it has a tight binding and clean pages and text, clean colored and black and white illustrations, and the slipcase is in very good condition too, with a slight bump on top. We found only five copies listed on the rare book website we use, with prices ranging from $120 to $380 for the book and slipcase. (The $120 book has water damage and blotching, very unlike the book here.)
The Pink Fairy Book was first published in 1897, and the Folio Society version here is a first edition by the Folio Society because it says 2007 on the title page and copyright page and the dates match. The book has silver, white, and pink decorations on the spine and front cover, light plum endpapers with silver decorations, the etchings and decorations were done by Debra McFarlane, it has 335 pages of text, a light plum topstain, and it comes with a matching slipcase. The book measures 10 x 7 3/4 inches wide and is in great condition, with a tight binding and clean pages and text, clean colored and black and white illustrations, and the slipcase is in very good condition too.
The Crimson Fairy Book was first published in 1903, and the Folio Society version here is a first edition by the Folio Society because it says 2011 on the title page and copyright page and the dates match. The book has gilt and pale blue decorations on the spine and front cover, plum endpapers with gilt decorations, the paintings and decorations were done by Tim Stevens, it has 293 pages of text, a pale crimson topstain, and a plum slipcase. The book measures 10 x 7 3/4 inches wide and is in great condition, with a tight binding and clean pages and text, clean colored and black and white illustrations, and the slipcase is in very good condition too. We found only six copies offered on the rare book website we use, and they range in price from $350 to $560.
