Cicely Mary Barker’s Fairies of the Flowers and Trees: Identifying the Early Omnibus
Few artists joined botanical observation and childhood fantasy with such delicacy as Cicely Mary Barker.
Fairies of the Flowers and Trees brings together three of Barker's much-loved groups of Flower Fairies: the garden, the wayside and the trees. The beauty of the omnibus lies in the way each botanical setting becomes a miniature world of its own.
Understanding the edition
Early copies of this combined volume were published by Blackie & Son, with London and Glasgow appearing in the imprint. Examples are commonly catalogued around 1950, but a date inferred from publishing history is not the same as an explicit date in the book. Collectors should record the wording on the title and imprint pages, the binding and any dust jacket, and consult specialist bibliography when asserting priority.
The omnibus is often described as containing 72 colour illustrations. Verify the physical completeness of the particular copy and the book's original format rather than assuming that every similarly titled edition has identical collation.
What to examine
Look for the original binding and jacket, if issued with one; examine the quality of the colour plates, the page edges and the condition of the hinges. Any inscriptions or signs of former ownership are part of the copy's history. The first edition of a combined volume should also be distinguished from the earlier separate editions of the individual Flower Fairies books.
Beyond identification
Barker's achievement is easy to underestimate because her figures appear so effortless. Her children are integrated into the anatomy of the plants around them; petals become garments, and stems become a stage. In an early edition, design, printing and preservation are inseparable parts of that effect.
Explore Cicely Mary Barker editions in the MFLIBRA archive and catalogue.
Further reading at MFLIBRA
Cicely Mary Barker: The Botanical Eye Behind the Flower Fairies · Gnomes in Fairy Tales and Illustrated Children’s Books