1870 Scarce Book - Sir Wilfred’s Seven Flights A Fairy Tale by Mme de Chatelain

Author: Madame de Chatelain. Illustrated by Mary Ellen Edwards.
Title: Sir Wilfred’s Seven Flights. A Fairy Tale.
Publisher: London, George Routledge and Sons, no date [circa 1870s].
Language: Text in English.
Size: 6.5 x 4.5 inches.
Pages: 300 pages + publisher's catalog.
Binding: Attractive and very good, near fine original publisher’s decorative green cloth binding, stamped in black with Art Nouveau–inspired floral designs on both boards. Gilt central medallion on the front board and ornate gilt titles and motifs on the spine. (hinges fine, overall slightly scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover. A well-preserved, attractive example of Victorian decorative cloth binding. 
Content: Very good content (bright, tight and clean, rare light foxing or staining - as shown, School prize plat dated 1879 on the first endpaper - as shown).
Illustrations: Richly illustrated with four finely engraved black-and-white plates by Mary Ellen Edwards, including a frontispiece and 3 full-page illustrations accompanying key episodes throughout the story. Her delicate line work and expressive figures bring a romantic, atmospheric quality to the tale.

Estimate: (Scarce with no or few other copîes available for sale worldwide).

The book: This scarce edition of Sir Wilfred’s Seven Flights is a fantastical and moralistic Victorian fairy tale structured around seven symbolic journeys undertaken by the knight Sir Wilfred. Framed by an introductory historical tale, The Sedan Chair, the story moves through vividly imagined episodes such as “The Golden City,” “The Salamanders,” and “Fata Morgana,” combining allegorical fantasy with light-hearted adventure. This Routledge edition, in its striking gilt-decorated binding and adorned with illustrations by one of the premier female illustrators of the era, is a charming and collectible example of 19th-century juvenile fiction.

The author: Madame de Chatelain (Clara Du Mazet de Pontigny, 1802–1876) was a prolific French-English author, translator, and composer whose works focused on moral tales and educational stories for children. An influential literary figure in Victorian Britain, she was instrumental in bridging French and English literary cultures through her translations and original fiction.

The illustrator: Mary Ellen Edwards (1838–1934) was a distinguished English illustrator and painter, known for her work in The Graphic, The Cornhill Magazine, and numerous book illustrations throughout the Victorian period. Celebrated for her sensitive portrayal of emotion and graceful figure drawing, Edwards was one of the few successful female illustrators of her time. Her contributions to Sir Wilfred’s Seven Flights add narrative depth and visual elegance, enhancing the fantastical and moral elements of the tale.