1873 Scarce Victorian Book - Butterflies and Fairies by Mary Albert, Illustrated

Author: Mary Albert.
Title: Butterflies and Fairies.
Publisher: London, Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1873. First Edition.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 6 x 5 inches.
Pages: 224 pages + publisher's catalogue.
Binding: Attractive and very good publisher’s decorative green cloth binding, the upper cover bordered and illustrated with botanical motifs in black and gilt, featuring a charming gilt-stamped title and butterfly device; gilt title to the spine with matching floral decorations. Rear board framed in blind. Brown endpapers (hinges fine, overall slightly worn and scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover. A lovely example of late-Victorian gift-book design.
Content: Very good content (bright, tight and clean, rare light foxing or staining - as shown, contents remain generally clean, with a small light stain affecting two pages only, as shown in the photographs). Overall a pleasing and well-preserved copy.
Illustrations: Complete with all six full-page illustrations including the frontispiece, engraved in fine detail and printed on the same paper stock as the text.

Estimate: (Scarce with no or few other copies available for sale worldwide).

The book: A scarce and delightful Victorian children’s volume combining natural history imagination with moral storytelling. Butterflies and Fairies blends gentle fantasy with observational charm, inviting young readers into gardens, meadows, and dreamlike landscapes where butterflies, fairies, and adventurous children share small journeys of wonder and curiosity. Issued under the direction of the Committee of General Literature and Education of the SPCK, the work reflects both literary charm and the period’s interest in educational storytelling.

The three narrative sections — “The Seven Butterflies,” “Were There Ever Any Fairies?” and “Little Reggie’s Voyage” — move from natural-world allegory to reflective fantasy and finally to a touching tale of travel and discovery. The engraved plates beautifully complement the text, enhancing the book’s atmosphere of quiet imagination.

The author: Mary Albert is listed among the Victorian writers associated with the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge’s juvenile titles, contributing morally reflective and gently imaginative works aimed at cultivating curiosity, observation, and character in young readers. Though biographical details remain scarce, her writing reflects the sensibility and tone characteristic of mid-to-late 19th-century children’s literature grounded in nature, wonder, and quiet moral instruction.