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1930 Rare Book - Flower Fairies of the Summer illustrated by Cicely Mary Barker
1930 Rare Book - Flower Fairies of the Summer illustrated by Cicely Mary Barker
1930 Rare Book - Flower Fairies of the Summer illustrated by Cicely Mary Barker
1930 Rare Book - Flower Fairies of the Summer illustrated by Cicely Mary Barker
1930 Rare Book - Flower Fairies of the Summer illustrated by Cicely Mary Barker
1930 Rare Book - Flower Fairies of the Summer illustrated by Cicely Mary Barker
1930 Rare Book - Flower Fairies of the Summer illustrated by Cicely Mary Barker
1930 Rare Book - Flower Fairies of the Summer illustrated by Cicely Mary Barker
1930 Rare Book - Flower Fairies of the Summer illustrated by Cicely Mary Barker
1930 Rare Book - Flower Fairies of the Summer illustrated by Cicely Mary Barker
1930 Rare Book - Flower Fairies of the Summer illustrated by Cicely Mary Barker
1930 Rare Book - Flower Fairies of the Summer illustrated by Cicely Mary Barker
1930 Rare Book - Flower Fairies of the Summer illustrated by Cicely Mary Barker
1930 Rare Book - Flower Fairies of the Summer illustrated by Cicely Mary Barker
1930 Rare Book - Flower Fairies of the Summer illustrated by Cicely Mary Barker
1930 Rare Book - Flower Fairies of the Summer illustrated by Cicely Mary Barker
1930 Rare Book - Flower Fairies of the Summer illustrated by Cicely Mary Barker
1930 Rare Book - Flower Fairies of the Summer illustrated by Cicely Mary Barker
1930 Rare Book - Flower Fairies of the Summer illustrated by Cicely Mary Barker
1930 Rare Book - Flower Fairies of the Summer illustrated by Cicely Mary Barker
1930 Rare Book - Flower Fairies of the Summer illustrated by Cicely Mary Barker
1930 Rare Book - Flower Fairies of the Summer illustrated by Cicely Mary Barker
1930 Rare Book - Flower Fairies of the Summer illustrated by Cicely Mary Barker
1930 Rare Book - Flower Fairies of the Summer illustrated by Cicely Mary Barker
1930 Rare Book - Flower Fairies of the Summer illustrated by Cicely Mary Barker
1930 Rare Book - Flower Fairies of the Summer illustrated by Cicely Mary Barker
1930 Rare Book - Flower Fairies of the Summer illustrated by Cicely Mary Barker
1930 Rare Book - Flower Fairies of the Summer illustrated by Cicely Mary Barker
1930 Rare Book - Flower Fairies of the Summer illustrated by Cicely Mary Barker

1930 Rare Book - Flower Fairies of the Summer illustrated by Cicely Mary Barker

$180 USD - $180 USD
$180 USD
$180 USD - $180 USD
$180 USD

Author: Cicely Mary Barker.
Title: Flower Fairies of the Summer.
Publisher: London and Glasgow, Blackie & Son Limited, [circa 1930s].
Language: Text in English.
Size: 5.5 x 4.5 inches.
Pages: Unpaginated.
Binding: Publisher’s original decorative paper-covered boards illustrated in colour, retaining the scarce original dust jacket priced 1/6 net and unclipped. The dust jacket remains in remarkably well-preserved very good condition with light edge wear and gentle handling marks consistent with age. Binding likewise remains very good, attractive, and sound (hinges fine, overall slightly worn and scuffed - as shown) under a protective, removable mylar cover.
Content: Very good content with clean pages and bright illustrations throughout. Includes the scarce original publisher’s advertising insert for Spring Songs with Music and Summer Songs with Music. A charming and increasingly difficult-to-find early edition in its original dust jacket with original 1/6 Net price unclipped.
Illustrations: Beautifully illustrated throughout by Cicely Mary Barker with exquisite colour plates and delicate black-and-white drawings depicting fairy children personifying summer flowers including Poppy, Ragwort, Herb Robert, and many others. Illustrated endpapers present enchanting monochrome fairy scenes.

Estimate: (USD 200–250).

The book: Few books capture the enchantment of childhood and the English countryside as perfectly as Cicely Mary Barker’s beloved Flower Fairies series. Flower Fairies of the Summer stands among the most cherished volumes of the sequence, presenting a radiant procession of flower spirits delicately imagined through Barker’s instantly recognizable illustrations and accompanying verses.

Each fairy is carefully paired with its botanical counterpart, blending natural observation with Edwardian fantasy in a manner that has delighted generations of readers. Barker’s fairies possess an extraordinary humanity and individuality, while still seeming wholly born from the flowers and grasses around them. The result is a magical union of botanical study, poetry, and children’s illustration at its finest.

This copy is especially desirable for retaining its scarce original dust jacket, itself wonderfully evocative with its vivid colour illustration of the Thistle Fairy. The survival of the publisher’s musical advertising insert further enhances the charm and collectibility of the volume. The rear panel of the jacket lists twelve previous publications, the latest being Mrs. Bunny’s Refugee, helping place this copy among the earlier wartime or immediate postwar printings of the title.

The author and illustrator: Cicely Mary Barker (1895–1973) was one of the most celebrated illustrators of fairy literature in the twentieth century. Inspired by children she observed in her sister’s kindergarten as well as by English wildflowers studied from nature, Barker created a world of flower fairies whose appeal has endured for over a century. Her illustrations combine remarkable botanical accuracy with an ethereal innocence that has made the Flower Fairies books enduring classics of children’s literature and illustration.