1925 Rare First Edition- Fairies at Work and at Play observed by Geoffrey Hodson
Author: Geoffrey Hodson.
Title: Fairies at Work and at Play.
Publisher: London: The Theosophical Publishing House Ltd., 38 Great Ormond Street, 1925. First Edition
Language: Text in English.
Size: 7.5" × 5".
Pages: 126 pages.
Binding: Attractive and near fine original pale yellow cloth binding, lettered in blue on the upper cover and spine (hinges fine - as shown). A near fine copy in the original illustrated dust jacket designed by E. G. Payne, depicting ethereal fairies in flight among branches and fruit. The very good jacket shows mild toning and a few small edge chips with repair marks at the verso, yet remains remarkably well-preserved — rarely seen in this condition.
Content: Very good content (bright, tight and clean, light offsetting to endpapers and minimal foxing to preliminaries - as shown).
Illustrations: Front panel illustration and dust jacket design by E. G. Payne, whose Art Nouveau-inspired composition beautifully complements the book’s spiritual tone.
Estimate: (USD 250–325).
The book: A notable first edition (1925) of Fairies at Work and at Play, a cornerstone of Theosophical and esoteric thought, blending clairvoyant narrative, mystical philosophy, and nature mysticism. Through detailed chapters on Brownies and Elves, Gnomes, Mannikins, Undines and Sea Spirits, Fairies, Sylphs, and Devas, Hodson presents a visionary taxonomy of unseen intelligences governing the natural world.
Far from being fanciful whimsy, the work represents an earnest spiritual investigation during the height of the early 20th-century fascination with occultism and psychical research — a cultural moment shared by the Cottingley Fairies phenomenon and the rise of the Theosophical Society’s mystic naturalism.
The author: Geoffrey Hodson (1886–1983) was a British Theosophist, clairvoyant, mystic, and lecturer renowned for his visionary experiences and writings on the nature and hierarchies of spiritual beings. A prolific author, Hodson published over fifty works on esotericism, angelology, and meditation. During the 1920s, while working with the Theosophical Society, he conducted a series of “clairvoyant observations” that formed the foundation for Fairies at Work and at Play. His books remain influential within Theosophical and New Age circles for their union of mysticism, poetic beauty, and metaphysical inquiry.