1920 Rare Book - Grimm's Fairy Tales with 48 Colour Plates By Harry G. Theaker
Author: Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm. Illustrated by Harry G. Theaker.
Title: Grimm’s Fairy Tales.
Publisher: London & Melbourne, Ward, Lock & Co., Ltd., (circa 1920).
Language: Text in English.
Size: 8.5 x 6 inches.
Pages: x-344 page
Binding: Attractive and near fine publisher’s original tan cloth binding, beautifully decorated on the upper board with a large colour vignette and black stamped titles. Spine lettered and decorated in black (hinges fine - as shown). Complete with the rare good original colour-illustrated dust jacket (lightly soiled, some small edge wear and tiny losses - as shown) but still bright and very well preserved for this edition under a protective removable mylar cover.
Content: Very good content (bright, tight and clean, rare light foxing mainly on the outer edges - as shown, inscription on the front blank page - as shown). The pictorial endpapers (fairies, dwarves, a princess, etc.) are vibrant and intact, showing only minimal toning.
Illustrations: Complete with 48 full-page colour plates by Harry G. Theaker, each on glossy paper and retaining exceptional colour saturation. Includes a beautiful frontispiece (“Two-eyes, why do you weep?”).
The Book: This beautiful edition of Grimm’s Fairy Tales belongs to the celebrated “Prince Charming Colour Books,” produced by Ward, Lock & Co. in the early 20th century. Featuring forty-eight striking colour plates by Harry G. Theaker, the volume presents many of the Grimms’ most beloved stories—among them “The Frog-Prince,” “Hansel and Grethel,” “Rumpelstiltskin,” “Mother Holle,” “The Golden Goose,” and “The Boy Who Learnt to Shudder.” Theaker’s artwork remains one of the most enchanting interpretations of Grimm folklore, blending late-Victorian romanticism with early-20th-century colour illustration techniques. Copies preserved with the original dust jacket, as here, are increasingly uncommon and highly desirable to collectors.
The Authors: Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm Grimm (1786–1859), German scholars, linguists, and folklorists, are best known for their collection of folk narratives, first published in 1812–1815 as Kinder- und Hausmärchen. Their work preserved centuries-old oral traditions and shaped the cultural imagination of Europe and beyond. Beyond fairy tales, both brothers were accomplished philologists whose research contributed foundational work to the study of Germanic languages.
The Illustrator: Harry George Theaker (1873–1954) was a British illustrator and painter known for his vibrant colour work during the golden age of book illustration. He contributed to several classic children’s books, including titles in Ward, Lock & Co.’s “Prince Charming Colour Books.” Theaker’s illustrations for Grimm’s Fairy Tales are especially admired for their clarity, warmth, and narrative charm—bringing timeless stories to life for generations of young readers.