1895 Scarce 1stED - The Fairy Gifts and Tom Hickathrift by H. Granville Fell

An enchanting little Arts and Crafts fairy book, dressed in gilt cloth and tied with burgundy ribbons, where nursery folklore meets the bold black line of H. Granville Fell.

Author: H. Granville Fell, illustrator. Grace Rhys, editor.
Title: The Fairy Gifts and Tom Hickathrift.
Publisher: London, J. M. Dent & Co., Aldine House, Great Eastern St., 1895. First Edition. A volume in the Banbury Cross Series, prepared for children by Grace Rhys.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 6" x 3.5 ".
Pages: 60 pages.
Binding: Attractive original tan cloth binding, decoratively and pictorially blocked in gilt to the upper board, with gilt ornament to spine and original burgundy ribbon ties to fore-edge. Upper edge gilt. Very good binding, with light rubbing to cloth, and some fraying to the ribbon ties, as shown. Protected in a removable mylar cover.
Content: Very good content overall, bright and complete, with light scattered foxing, some age toning, and an ink ownership stamp of Leila Turner to a preliminary blank page, as shown.
Illustrations: Complete with striking black-and-white illustrations throughout by H. Granville Fell, including decorative endpaper illustrations, full-page plates, title designs, and bold Arts-and-Crafts style vignettes printed in rich black ink.

Estimate: (USD $200-$250).

The book: A scarce and beautifully designed first edition of The Fairy Gifts and Tom Hickathrift, published in 1895 as part of J. M. Dent’s charming Banbury Cross Series. The volume contains two traditional tales retold for children with the elegant simplicity typical of the series. Its gilt pictorial cloth, ribbon ties, deckled edges, and striking illustrations make it a particularly appealing late Victorian fairy-tale book.

The stories: “The Fairy Gifts” belongs to the world of moral fairy tales, where kindness, grace, vanity, and reward are shaped through enchantment. “Tom Hickathrift,” one of the great English giant-killer legends, brings a more vigorous note of folklore adventure. Together, the two tales offer a fine balance of delicacy and boldness, perfectly suited to the decorative spirit of the Banbury Cross books.

The illustrator: H. Granville Fell was an English artist and illustrator associated with the decorative book movement of the late nineteenth century. His work here shows the influence of Arts-and-Crafts design, with strong silhouettes, elaborate borders, medievalizing figures, and ornamental compositions that give the book much of its visual distinction.