1920 Rare Book - The Dream-Pedlar, Illustrated in Color by Florence Anderson

A rare and enchanting dream-world in color, where early 20th-century illustration reaches quiet perfection.

Author: Lady Margaret Sackville. Illustrated by Florence Anderson and Clara Shirley Hayward.
Title: The Dream-Pedlar.
Publisher: London, Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co. Ltd., 1920 (first published 1914).
Language: Text in English.
Size: 9 x 7.5 inches.
Pages: ix, 184 pages.
Binding: Very good original decorative cloth binding, pictorially stamped in black to front board and spine (hinges fine, overall slightly worn and scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover.  Overall a well-preserved and attractive copy.
Content: Very good content (bright, tight and clean, rare light foxing and toning, contemporary gift inscription to the front free endpaper - as shown). Presenting beautifully.
Illustrations: Complete with 16 full-page colour plates, including the frontispiece, by Florence Anderson, along with numerous charming black-and-white illustrations by Clara Shirley Hayward. All plates present and in excellent condition.

Estimate: (USD 400–500).

The book: A truly enchanting illustrated fairy tale collection, The Dream-Pedlar stands as one of the more elusive and visually captivating productions of the early twentieth century. The delicate and atmospheric colour plates by Florence Anderson are the true highlight, imbued with a soft, dreamlike quality and an almost Pre-Raphaelite sensitivity to line and colour. The imagery evokes a world suspended between sleep and waking, where fairies, dream figures, and strange creatures drift through luminous landscapes. Combined with Sackville’s lyrical and imaginative prose, the result is a book that appeals equally to collectors of illustrated works and lovers of poetic fantasy. Copies in such well-preserved condition are increasingly scarce.

The author: Lady Margaret Sackville (1881–1963) was an English poet and writer associated with the aristocratic Sackville family. Known for her refined literary sensibility and poetic imagination, she produced a number of works that blend fantasy, allegory, and lyrical prose, with The Dream-Pedlar among her most enduring contributions.

The illustrators: Florence Anderson was a gifted illustrator of the early twentieth century, admired for her ethereal and finely detailed color plates that capture a sense of movement and atmosphere. Her work in The Dream-Pedlar is among her finest, showcasing her ability to render dreamlike figures with elegance and subtle emotion.
Clara Shirley Hayward, responsible for the black-and-white illustrations, was a prolific illustrator of children’s books whose lively and expressive line work complements Anderson’s more delicate color plates, adding charm and narrative vitality to the volume.