1903 Rare First Edition - The Star Fairies Illustrated by Lucy Fitch Perkins
A luminous Art Nouveau dream, where stars, fairies, and childhood imagination meet in exquisite colour.
Author: Edith Ogden Harrison. Illustrated by Lucy Fitch Perkins.
Title: The Star Fairies and Other Fairy Tales.
Publisher: Chicago, A. C. McClurg & Co., 1903. First Edition.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 10 x 7.5 inches.
Pages: 128 pages.
Binding: Very good original publisher’s full pictorial cloth binding, richly stamped in green, gilt, and silver, depicting a winged fairy standing beneath a crescent moon against a starry sky; light rubbing and gentle fading to the spine and rear cover as shown; corners lightly bumped; overall a striking and highly decorative Art Nouveau binding; protected with a removable mylar cover. A rare find in any condition!
Content: Very good; clean, tight, and well-preserved; light toning consistent with age; small abrasion to the outer margin of page 65 without any loss to the text (as shown); faint traces of a removed bookplate to the front pastedown; otherwise free of ownership markings; a bright and highly presentable copy.
Illustrations: Complete with 6 full-page colour illustrations by Lucy Fitch Perkins, including the frontispiece, all vibrant and beautifully preserved; additionally illustrated with charming chapter-opening vignettes for each tale, enhancing the decorative unity of the volume.
Estimate: (USD 400–500).
The book: The Star Fairies and Other Fairy Tales is one of the most enchanting productions of early 20th-century American children’s literature, blending poetic storytelling with the refined elegance of Art Nouveau design. Each tale unfolds within a dreamlike universe of celestial beings, enchanted lands, and moral imagination, rendered all the more captivating by Lucy Fitch Perkins’ delicate and harmonious illustrations. The large format, sumptuous binding, and integration of text and image reflect the golden age of gift books, where beauty and storytelling were inseparable. Today, the book stands as both a literary treasure and a visual artifact of its era.
The author: Edith Ogden Harrison (1862–1929) was an American author and educator best known for her contributions to children’s literature and early childhood education. Her works often draw upon folklore, imagination, and moral storytelling, crafted to nurture both wonder and character in young readers.
The illustrator: Lucy Fitch Perkins (1865–1937) was an American illustrator and author celebrated for her refined, graceful style and her contribution to children’s books of the early 20th century. Her work is characterized by elegant line, soft color palettes, and a distinctive Art Nouveau influence, all of which are beautifully exemplified in The Star Fairies.