1895 Rare Book - Celtic Fairy Tales by J. Jacobs illustrated by John D. Batten
An attractive and scarce Victorian “Popular Edition” of Joseph Jacobs’ Celtic Fairy Tales, richly illustrated throughout by John D. Batten and complete with all seven full-page plates.
Author: Joseph Jacobs (selected and edited); illustrated by John D. Batten.
Title: Celtic Fairy Tales.
Publisher: London: David Nutt, 57–59 Long Acre, [1895].
Edition: Popular Edition. First edition in this reduced popular format.
Language: English.
Pages: vii, 236 pages.
Size: 8.5 x 6 inches.
Binding: Very good original publisher’s decorative cloth binding, with pictorial and floral designs to the front board and spine by John D. Batten (spine somewhat toned, light wear to extremities, hinges fine and binding firm, as shown). Protected in a removable mylar cover.
Content: Good to very good content (tight and complete, with foxing throughout, heavier on the preliminary and final leaves, as shown; previous owner’s name to front free endpaper).
Illustrations: Complete with seven full-page black-and-white illustrations, including the striking Sea-Maiden frontispiece, together with numerous illustrations, decorative initials and ornaments throughout the text by John D. Batten.
Estimate: USD 250–300.
The book:
This attractive Popular Edition of Celtic Fairy Tales was prepared as part of David Nutt’s Fairy Tales of the British Empire series. The original, more elaborate edition appeared in the early 1890s; this condensed edition, with a new preface dated July 1, 1895, retained the tales and much of Batten’s remarkable artwork while omitting the scholarly notes and parallels of the larger edition. Its 236-page text and seven full-page plates correspond to the publisher’s contemporary specification for the children’s or popular issue.
The collection gathers twenty-six stories from Irish, Scottish and Welsh tradition, including Connla and the Fairy Maiden, The Story of Deirdre, Gold-Tree and Silver-Tree, The Wooing of Olwen, The Sea-Maiden, The Battle of the Birds and The Lad with the Goat-Skin. Jacobs’ lucid retellings and Batten’s imaginative blend of Celtic ornament, medievalism and fantasy helped make the volume one of the defining illustrated folklore books of the late Victorian period.
The author:
Joseph Jacobs (1854–1916) was an Australian-born folklorist, historian and literary scholar who became one of the most influential collectors and popularizers of traditional tales in the English language. His celebrated collections included English Fairy Tales, More English Fairy Tales, Celtic Fairy Tales, More Celtic Fairy Tales and Indian Fairy Tales.
Jacobs sought to preserve the character and directness of traditional storytelling while making folklore accessible to younger readers. Celtic Fairy Tales was the first of his two major collections devoted to Celtic tradition and brought together twenty-six stories drawn largely from earlier Irish, Scottish and Welsh sources.
The illustrator:
John Dickson Batten (1860–1932) was a British painter, printmaker and book illustrator closely associated with the Arts and Crafts movement and the golden age of book illustration. His work for Jacobs is immediately recognizable for its intricate pen-and-ink line, decorative borders, stylized lettering and strong medieval and Celtic Revival influence.
Batten’s illustrations are an essential part of the character of Celtic Fairy Tales. Particularly striking are the full-page designs for The Sea-Maiden, Connla and the Fairy Maiden, Deirdre and The Wooing of Olwen, alongside the numerous smaller illustrations and elaborate initials integrated throughout the text.