{"product_id":"1805-rare-fairy-tale-the-six-princesses-of-babylon-by-lucy-peacock","title":"1805 Rare Fairy Tale - The Six Princesses of Babylon by Lucy Peacock","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAn uncommon 1805 edition of Lucy Peacock's enchanting moral fairy tale, The Adventures of the Six Princesses of Babylon, complete with its finely engraved frontispiece and attractively bound in period leather.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor\u003c\/strong\u003e: Lucy Peacock.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTitle\u003c\/strong\u003e: \u003cem\u003eThe Adventures of the Six Princesses of Babylon, in Their Travels to the Temple of Virtue.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher\u003c\/strong\u003e: London: Printed by J. Barfield for R. and L. Peacock, The Juvenile Library, 259 Oxford Street, 1805.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEdition\u003c\/strong\u003e: Fourth Edition, revised.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLanguage\u003c\/strong\u003e: English.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages\u003c\/strong\u003e: ix, 201 pages, including the publisher's catalogue at the rear.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSize\u003c\/strong\u003e: 7 x 4.5 inches.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBinding\u003c\/strong\u003e: Very good period leather binding, with mottled brown leather boards, a lighter leather spine and corners, raised bands, and a contrasting red morocco spine label lettered in gilt. The boards show characteristic rubbing, surface wear, and minor scuffing, particularly at the edges and corners. The binding remains handsome and well preserved. Protected in a removable mylar cover. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eContent\u003c\/strong\u003e: Very good. Complete, with occasional light foxing, minor spotting, and age-related toning, chiefly to the preliminary leaves and scattered pages. The text remains clear and generally clean. Early handwritten ownership inscriptions appear on the preliminary leaves. The publisher's catalogue is preserved at the rear.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrations\u003c\/strong\u003e: Complete with the engraved frontispiece depicting Princess Miranda being delivered from the power of Delay by the dwarf Diligence, engraved by J. Heath after a design by J. Miller.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEstimate\u003c\/strong\u003e: USD $300–350.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe book\u003c\/strong\u003e: Published in London in 1805, this uncommon fourth edition of \u003cem\u003eThe Adventures of the Six Princesses of Babylon\u003c\/em\u003e is a delightful example of early nineteenth-century English children's literature, combining the imaginative enchantment of fairy tales with the moral instruction characteristic of the Georgian period. Dedicated to Her Royal Highness Princess Mary, the story follows six young princesses whose royal family has been driven into exile. Under the guidance of the benevolent fairy Benigna, each princess must undertake a journey toward the Temple of Virtue, encountering trials, magical beings, and allegorical figures that test her character and reveal the importance of moral qualities.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInspired, as the author explains in her preface, by Edmund Spenser's \u003cem\u003eThe Faerie Queene\u003c\/em\u003e, the narrative transforms abstract virtues and human weaknesses into memorable fairy-tale adventures. Among its characters are Princess Miranda, the dwarf Diligence, and the personification of Delay, whose encounter is beautifully represented in the engraved frontispiece. The book is particularly appealing for its combination of fairy-tale fantasy, female protagonists, and moral allegory, offering a fascinating glimpse into the imaginative world of Georgian juvenile fiction. This copy retains its engraved frontispiece, period leather binding, and publisher's advertisements at the rear, making it a desirable survival of an uncommon early children's book.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe author\u003c\/strong\u003e: Lucy Peacock was an English author of educational and moral literature for children, active during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Her writings belong to an important period in the development of children's publishing, when authors increasingly sought to combine engaging narratives with lessons in virtue, personal conduct, and intellectual improvement. Her works include \u003cem\u003eThe Little Emigrant\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Visit for a Week; or, Hints on the Improvement of Time\u003c\/em\u003e, both advertised in the publisher's catalogue accompanying this volume.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eThe Adventures of the Six Princesses of Babylon\u003c\/em\u003e, Peacock employs the familiar conventions of fairy tales—princesses, fairies, giants, enchanted objects, and extraordinary journeys—to explore diligence, courage, kindness, and moral responsibility. Her adaptation of Spenserian allegory for young readers gives the work particular literary interest, placing it at the intersection of traditional fairy-tale storytelling and the emerging culture of instructive children's books in Georgian England.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"MFLIBRA - Antique Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67645627924729,"sku":null,"price":275.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0953\/3348\/files\/20261109princess_00.jpg?v=1794266273","url":"https:\/\/mflibra.com\/products\/1805-rare-fairy-tale-the-six-princesses-of-babylon-by-lucy-peacock","provider":"MFLIBRA - Antique Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}