{"product_id":"1912-rare-1sted-elfin-song-a-book-of-verse-and-pictures-by-florence-harrison","title":"1912 Rare 1stED - ELFIN SONG, A Book of Verse and Pictures by Florence Harrison","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAn enchanting first edition of Florence Harrison’s celebrated fairy poetry book, richly illustrated with mounted colour plates and elaborate black-and-white designs in a beautifully gilt-decorated binding.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e Florence Harrison.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTitle:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eElfin Song: A Book of Verse and Pictures.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e London, Glasgow \u0026amp; Bombay, Blackie \u0026amp; Son Ltd., MCMXII (1912).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEdition:\u003c\/strong\u003e First Edition.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/strong\u003e English.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e xii, 142 pages.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSize:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9\" x 6.5\".\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBinding:\u003c\/strong\u003e Very good original grey cloth binding, richly decorated in gilt to the front board and spine with an elegant fairy motif and ornamental lettering. Upper edge gilt. Light rubbing and wear to the extremities, with minor softening at the spine ends, but the gilt remains bright and the binding is tight and sound. Protected in a removable mylar cover. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eContent:\u003c\/strong\u003e Very good. Pages remain generally clean and well preserved with occasional light foxing and age toning, chiefly to margins and preliminary leaves. Contemporary ownership inscription “Joyce Briscome, Xmas 1913” to the front free endpaper. One original lettered protective tissue guard has been replaced by a plain blank tissue guard by a previous owner; all illustrations themselves are present and complete.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrations:\u003c\/strong\u003e Complete with 12 beautiful mounted colour plates, together with 12 full-page black-and-white plates and numerous decorative illustrations, headings, vignettes, and ornaments throughout, all by Florence Harrison. Eleven of the colour plates retain their original lettered tissue guards, with one guard replaced by a plain protective tissue as noted above.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEstimate: \u003c\/strong\u003eUSD 750–850.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe book:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eElfin Song\u003c\/em\u003e is one of Florence Harrison’s most desirable illustrated books, combining her own poetry with a remarkable sequence of fairy imagery influenced by the Pre-Raphaelite and Art Nouveau traditions. Published by Blackie \u0026amp; Son in 1912, the volume moves through a dreamlike world of fairies, changelings, witches, banshees, winter spirits, enchanted woods, and moonlit revels. Harrison’s delicate line drawings appear throughout the text, while the mounted colour plates display the rich, atmospheric palette for which her work is especially admired.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book represents the height of the Edwardian gift-book tradition, when publishers lavished exceptional attention on typography, binding design, paper, and illustration. The gilt fairy figure on the upper board, elaborate decorative pages, tissue-guarded colour plates, and abundance of black-and-white artwork make \u003cem\u003eElfin Song\u003c\/em\u003e a particularly unified example of book design. Complete copies retaining all twelve mounted colour plates are increasingly sought after by collectors of fairy literature, Golden Age illustration, and Pre-Raphaelite-inspired art.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe author and illustrator:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFlorence Susan Harrison (1877–1955) was an English-Australian artist, poet, and illustrator best remembered for her richly imaginative interpretations of fairy subjects, poetry, and legend. Born in Brisbane, she later lived in England and became closely associated with Blackie \u0026amp; Son, for whom she produced some of the most distinctive illustrated gift books of the early twentieth century. Her work blends Pre-Raphaelite romanticism with Art Nouveau line and colour, often populated by fairies, spirits, medieval figures, and mysterious woodland landscapes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHarrison also illustrated works by Christina Rossetti, William Morris, and Alfred Tennyson, placing her firmly within the later visual tradition inspired by the Pre-Raphaelite movement. \u003cem\u003eElfin Song\u003c\/em\u003e, in which she supplied both verse and pictures, is among the purest expressions of her personal artistic world and remains one of her most collectible books.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"MFLIBRA - Antique Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49058204516601,"sku":null,"price":700.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0953\/3348\/files\/20260913elfin_01.jpg?v=1789317371","url":"https:\/\/mflibra.com\/products\/1912-rare-1sted-elfin-song-a-book-of-verse-and-pictures-by-florence-harrison","provider":"MFLIBRA - Antique Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}