1925 Rare Book - Tales and Legends of Scotland Illustrated by Florence Anderson

An uncommon and beautifully decorated collection of Scottish folklore, retold from traditional ballads and legends by Dorothy King and illustrated by Florence Anderson, complete with its color frontispiece and seven full-page black-and-white plates.

Author: Dorothy King. Illustrated by Florence Anderson.
Title: Tales and Legends of Scotland.
Publisher: London: George G. Harrap & Co. Ltd., 39–41 Parker Street, Kingsway; also Calcutta and Sydney, 1925.
Edition: 1925 reprint. First published April 1915; reprinted November 1919 and February 1925.
Language: Text in English.
Pages: 128 pages.
Size: 7.5 x 5 inches.
Binding: Very good original publisher’s light blue cloth binding, richly decorated to the upper board with an elaborate Celtic interlace design surrounding a winged horse device, with matching ornamental panels and lettering to the spine. Light rubbing and minor wear at the extremities, but the binding remains firm, bright and highly attractive. Protected in a removable mylar cover. 
Content: Very good. Pages remain generally clean and well preserved with scattered light foxing and occasional age toning. Noticeable toning and offsetting to the endpaper, as shown. Binding and hinges remain sound.
Illustrations: Complete with a color frontispiece, The Heir of Lynne, and seven full-page black-and-white illustrations by Florence Anderson, including atmospheric scenes of Scottish fairy lore, legendary heroes, dragons, enchantment and witchcraft.

Estimate: USD $135–150.

The book: Tales and Legends of Scotland gathers nine stories drawn from the old ballads, legends and oral traditions of Scotland. Among them are The Heather-Drink, Tamlane and the Fairy Folk, The Heir of Lynne, The Worm of Linton, The Great Warlock, The Sorrowful Voyage of Sir Patrick Spens, Thomas the Rhymer, An Adventure of Sir William Wallace and The Bannock o’ Tollishill. Together they form a wonderfully varied panorama of Scottish folklore, populated by fairies, enchanted knights, dragons, warlocks, heroes and doomed voyagers.

Dorothy King’s retellings preserve the atmosphere and romantic character of the traditional material while making the stories accessible to younger readers. The striking Celtic-inspired publisher’s binding and Florence Anderson’s illustrations give the volume considerable decorative appeal and place it firmly within the golden age tradition of early twentieth-century illustrated folklore books.

The author: Dorothy King was a British writer and adapter of traditional stories for young readers, particularly associated with collections of legend, history and folklore. In Tales and Legends of Scotland, she draws upon centuries of Scottish balladry and popular tradition, reshaping familiar legends into lively narrative form while retaining their distinctly northern atmosphere of mystery, heroism and the supernatural.

The illustrator: Florence Mary Anderson (1874–1930) was a British illustrator known particularly for her fairy, fantasy and children’s book illustrations during the early decades of the twentieth century. Her work is characterized by graceful line, elaborate costumes and richly imaginative compositions influenced by the contemporary fascination with folklore and fairyland. Her illustrations for Tales and Legends of Scotland range from romantic medieval scenes to dramatically fantastical images such as The Great Warlock, complementing the book’s mixture of history, legend and enchantment.