1900 Rare Book - Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales, colour illustrations
Author: Hans Christian Andersen. Translated by Mrs. H. B. Paull.
Title: Hans Andersen’s Fairy Tales.
Publisher: London, Frederick Warne and Co., circa 1900.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 8 x 5 inches.
Pages: xi, 383 pages.
Binding: Attractive and very good publisher’s original green decorative cloth binding, elaborately blocked in black and silver with a central pictorial panel; spine lettered in gilt (hinges fine, overall slightly worn and scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover. Upper edge gilt. A charming and highly decorative Edwardian binding.
Content: Very good content (bright, tight and clean, rare light foxing or staining - as shown, contemporary bookplate to front pastedown - as shown). Overall a solid and appealing copy.
Illustrations: Complete with the colour frontispiece illustration, the two colour full-page illustrations, and the six full-page black-and-white illustrations.
Estimate: (USD 225–250).
The book: A richly illustrated early 20th-century edition of Andersen’s timeless fairy tales, this volume captures the enduring magic of stories such asThe Little Mermaid,The Nightingale, andThe Tinder Box; issued by Frederick Warne, a publisher closely associated with high-quality illustrated gift books, the present edition stands out for its decorative binding and generous visual program; the interplay of color plates and finely executed black-and-white illustrations creates a rhythm between narrative and image that reflects the evolving taste of Edwardian readers; both intimate and imaginative, this edition offers a window into how Andersen’s tales were reintroduced to a new generation at the turn of the century.
The author: Hans Christian Andersen, the great Danish storyteller, transformed folklore into literary art; his tales, blending melancholy, fantasy, and moral insight, have become foundational texts of children’s literature, yet they continue to resonate deeply with adult readers for their emotional depth and symbolic richness.