Description

Fairy Gold – A Book of Old English Fairy Tales – Illustrated by Herbert Cole

Fairy Gold: A Book of Old English Fairy Tales was compiled by Ernest Rhys (1859 – 1946) and illustrated by Herbert Cole (1867 – 1930). Rhys was a famed writer and editor – best known for his role as founder of the ‘Everyman’s Library’, a series of affordable classics. Rhys was passionate about English folkloric tradition, and making such wonderful works of literature accessible to the common people. The book starts with a quotation from Shakespeare’s A Winter’s Tale, informing the reader that: ‘This is fairy Gold boy; and t’will prove so…’  From here on in, it is a text to amuse, delight, scare and inform – all in equal measures – for young and old alike.

Fairy Gold contains a set of wonderful black and white illustrations by Herbert Cole, as well as such well-known tales as ‘The Three Bears’, ‘Tom Thumb’, ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ and ‘The Mermaid’ as well as other, near-forgotten English stories such as ‘The Fairy Fair’, ‘Mr and Mrs Vinegar’, ‘The King and the Vipers’ and ‘Queen Mab’s Good Grace.’ The text appears in its original translation, ensuring that none of the work’s initial brilliance is lost.

 

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With works such as Fairy Gold – A Book of Old English Fairy Tales, Pook Press celebrates the great ‘Golden Age of Illustration‘ in children’s literature – a period of unparalleled excellence in book illustration from the 1880s to the 1930s.

Our collection showcases classic fairy tales, children’s stories, and the work of some of the most celebrated artists, illustrators and authors.

We publish rare and vintage Golden Age illustrated books, in high-quality colour editions, so that the masterful artwork and story-telling can continue to delight both young and old.

On this website, you can find out about some of our best-selling authors, illustrators, and stories. We also have a full bookshop, an introduction to the Golden Age of Illustration, and a history of the fairy tale itself.

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