1868 Scarce Book - Dealings with the Fairies by George Macdonald, Illustrated

Author: George MacDonald. (illustrated by Arthur Hughes).
Title: Dealings with the Fairies.
Publisher: London, Alexander Strahan & Co., 56 Ludgate Hill, 1868. Second Edition.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 5.5 " X 4.5 ".
Pages: 308 pages + publisher's catalogue.
Binding: Attractive and very good original green cloth binding richly decorated in gilt and black, featuring an elaborate geometric and floral panel design with central gilt medallion. Spine gilt with floral motifs and title (hinges fine, light rubbing and wear to extremities, minor corner wear, and a touch of darkening to spine as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover. All edges gilt.  Original brown coated endpapers with some mottling and a small abrasion. A well-preserved and visually striking example of early MacDonald bindings.
Content: Very good content (bright, tight and clean, rare light foxing, toning or staining - as shown, early ownership inscription dated June 1869 on the half-title - as shown). 
Illustrations: Complete with the full suite of 12 charming black-and-white full-page illustrations by Arthur Hughes. Hughes’s ethereal, Pre-Raphaelite-inflected line work perfectly complements MacDonald’s visionary fairy tales.

Estimate: (USD 2000–2500).

The book: A desirable and scarce second edition of Dealings with the Fairies, one of George MacDonald’s foundational fairy-tale collections. It includes five beloved stories: The Light Princess, The Giant’s Heart, The Shadows, Cross Purposes, and The Golden Key. First published in 1867, this 1868 issue preserves the original Victorian design and the first appearance of Arthur Hughes’s haunting illustrations. A cornerstone of 19th-century fantasy literature and a key influence on C. S. Lewis, Tolkien, Nesbit, and later generations of writers.

The author: George MacDonald (10 December 1824 – 18 September 1905) was a Scottish novelist, poet, minister, and pioneer of modern fantasy literature. His imaginative fairy tales, philosophical depth, and spiritual symbolism shaped the genre profoundly. Admired by authors such as Lewis Carroll, W. H. Auden, J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, G. K. Chesterton, Madeleine L’Engle, and many others, his works continue to inspire readers seeking wonder and wisdom.

The illustrator: Arthur Hughes (27 January 1832 – 22 December 1915) was an English painter and illustrator closely associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Known for his poetic line work, delicacy of expression, and ability to evoke atmosphere, Hughes illustrated several of MacDonald’s most important fairy tales. His images for Dealings with the Fairies remain among his most enchanting achievements.