1896 First Edition - Fantasies, Fairy Tales by Mabel Nembhard, Illustrated

Author: Mabel Nembhard. Illustrated by Maud Linley Sambourne, A.L. and M. Bowley, A.S. Gibson, and F. Reason.
Title: Fantasies.
Publisher: London, George Allen, 156 Charing Cross Road, 1896. First Edition.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 7.5" x 5".
Pages: x + 197 pages.
Binding: Attractive and very good original publisher’s decorative turquoise cloth binding with elaborate black and gilt-stamped Art Nouveau design to upper board and spine (hinges fine, overall slightly worn, soiled and scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover.
Content: Very good content (bright, tight and clean, rare light foxing or staining - as shown). 
Illustrations: Illustrated with several charming full-page and in-text illustrations (including mermaids, naiads, angels, and other fantastical scenes) by Maud Linley Sambourne, A.L. and M. Bowley, A.S. Gibson, and F. Reason. The illustrations are in a distinctive Art Nouveau and Pre-Raphaelite-influenced style, full of whimsy and elegance.

The book: A rare and visually striking Victorian children’s fantasy collection, Fantasies gathers a series of imaginative tales imbued with allegory, wonder, and delicate moral reflection. The narratives range from stories of ethereal beings, lost languages, and magical gardens, to humorous parables and social satire. The elaborate illustrations complement the lyrical text and evoke a magical, otherworldly mood, capturing the Victorian fascination with myth, dreamscapes, and fairy tales. This is a beautifully produced edition and a collector’s item for lovers of illustrated children's literature and fin-de-siècle design.

The author: Mabel Nembhard was a 19th-century English writer known for her contributions to children’s literature and fantastical tales. Though little is documented about her life, Fantasies remains her most recognized work, celebrated for its poetic prose and original imaginative scope.

The illustrators: The volume features an ensemble of talented illustrators, including Maud Linley Sambourne—daughter of famed Punch cartoonist Linley Sambourne—alongside the Bowleys and F. Reason, whose work blends fluid Art Nouveau lines with a mythological aesthetic. Their contributions elevate the text into a dreamlike artistic artifact of the late Victorian period.