1900 Rare Book - Legends and Fairy Tales of Ireland by Lover and Croker

Author: Samuel Lover and Thomas Crofton Croker.
Title: Legends and Tales of Ireland.
Publisher: London, Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent, & Co. / Glasgow: Thomas D. Morison. [c.1900].
Language: Text in English.
Size: 8 x 5.5 inches.
Pages: 436 pages.
Binding: Very good, near fine original publisher’s green cloth binding with gilt lettering and vignette illustration to the spine (hinges fine, overall slightly scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover.
Content: Very good content (bright, tight and clean, rare light foxing mainly to preliminaries and the final leaves - as shown).
Illustrations: Illustrated with numerous woodcuts, including a frontispiece of “Here’s the Best of Good Spirits.” Complete as issued.

The book: A scarce early 20th-century combined edition of Legends and Tales of Ireland by Samuel Lover and Fairy Legends of the South of Ireland by Thomas Crofton Croker, presented here as "Three Volumes in One." These classic collections preserve Ireland’s folklore tradition, recounting tales of wit, trickery, fairies, priests, and peasants, infused with the humor and spirit of Irish storytelling. Richly illustrated with woodcuts, this edition captures the vibrant oral tradition in print for Victorian readers and remains a charming artifact of Celtic revival literature.

The authors:

• Samuel Lover (1797–1868) was an Irish songwriter, painter, novelist, and folklorist, celebrated for his humorous sketches of Irish character, including Handy Andy and Rory O’More. His storytelling blends satire with authentic depictions of Irish life.

• Thomas Crofton Croker (1798–1854) was one of the pioneering collectors of Irish folklore. His Fairy Legends of the South of Ireland was highly influential in 19th-century folklore studies, earning admiration from contemporaries like Walter Scott and the Brothers Grimm.