1895 Rare Victorian Book - Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales Illustrated

Author: Hans Christian Andersen. Translated by Mrs. H. B. Paull.
Title: Hans Andersen’s Fairy Tales.
Publisher: London, Frederick Warne and Co., (1895).
Language: Text in English.
Size: 7 x 5 inches.
Pages: viii, 671 pages.
Binding: Attractive and very good publisher’s original brown cloth binding, richly decorated in gilt and black with elaborate fairy-themed designs to front cover and spine, titled “The Royal Fairy Library”; rear cover with blind-stamped publisher’s device (hinges fine, overall slightly worn and scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover. A highly attractive Victorian decorative binding.
Content: Very good content (bright, tight and clean, rare light foxing and toning - as shown). 
Illustrations: Illustrated with seven full-page engravings, including the detailed frontispiece. Complete.

Estimate: (USD 300–350).

The book: A substantial and beautifully produced Victorian edition of Andersen’s fairy tales, issued as part of The Royal Fairy Library series by Frederick Warne; this edition presents a wide selection of Andersen’s most beloved stories, including The Snow Queen, The Ugly Duckling, and The Red Shoes, in a format both accessible and visually engaging for young readers; the translation by Mrs. H. B. Paull reflects the Victorian taste for moral clarity and narrative refinement, while the numerous engraved illustrations bring depth and atmosphere to Andersen’s imaginative world; the ornate gilt-stamped binding, alive with fairies, swirling foliage, and whimsical figures, stands as a fine example of late 19th-century decorative book design.

The author: Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875), the celebrated Danish author, remains one of the most influential writers of fairy tales; his works, blending fantasy with moral insight and emotional depth, have become enduring classics translated into countless languages and cherished across generations.

The translator: Mrs. H. B. Paull was a Victorian translator known for adapting classic European tales for English-speaking audiences, including works by the Brothers Grimm; her translations contributed significantly to the dissemination of continental fairy literature in the English-speaking world.