1922 Rare Book- The Flame Flower by Phyllis Saunders and Hilda T. Miller. Signed

Author: Phyllis Saunders. Illustrated by Hilda T. Miller.
Title: The Flame Flower.
Publisher: London, Thornton Butterworth Ltd., no date [1922]. First Edition. Signed by the author.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 8.5 X 6.5 inches.
Pages: 127 pages.
Binding: Attractive and very good original lavender cloth with black lettering and border framing a mounted color plate on the front cover (hinges fine, overall slightly scuffed - as shown) protected by its very good original tan dust jacket (small tears and chips - as shown)with matching color illustration and titles under a protective removable mylar cover. 
Content: Very good content (bright, tight and clean, rare light foxing or staining - as shown, ex-libris of a previous owner on the first endpaper - as shown). Inscribed in ink on the second blank page: "G.M. Temple / With love. October 1922." and signed by the author "Phyllis Saunders" on the title page, making this a rare presentation copy.
Illustrations: Complete with 4 color plates and 50 line drawings by Hilda T. Miller. Illustrations are delicately executed, with a blend of Pre-Raphaelite and Art Nouveau styles. All illustrations, including the frontispiece, are present and in very good condition.

Estimate: (Scarce with no or few other signed copies available for sale worldwide).

The book: The Flame Flower is a rare and visually captivating children’s fantasy novel. Centered around a young princess’s mystical journey through enchanted lands—forests, cliffs, and heather hills—it reflects a richly imaginative fairy-tale world, complete with symbolic flora, magical beings, and spiritual allegory. The chapter titles—such as The Princess in the Tower, The Grey Woman of the Cliffs, and The Fire Queen Brings the Silver Circlet—suggest a transformative hero's journey embedded in nature and myth. The lush illustrations by Hilda T. Miller bring this ethereal world to life, making it a collector’s gem of early 20th-century illustrated literature. The personal inscription and author’s signature further enhance the book’s historical and sentimental value.

The author: Phyllis Saunders remains a little-documented but intriguing figure in early 20th-century British children’s literature. The Flame Flower appears to be her most notable contribution, revealing a poetic and allegorical sensibility that aligns with contemporaries like Edith Nesbit and George MacDonald. The dated inscription—October 1922—indicates this copy was gifted close to or upon publication.

The illustrator: Hilda T. Miller was a British artist active during the golden age of illustration. Her style blends delicate detail with a dreamlike sense of narrative, comparable to illustrators like Jessie Willcox Smith and Florence Harrison. In The Flame Flower, Miller’s colored plates and elegant line drawings elevate the storytelling, capturing its gentle mysticism and fairytale wonder.