Description
Cinderella – Illustrated by Arthur Rackham
Cinderella is one of the best known stories of all time. It is here retold by C. S. Evans, and illustrated by Arthur Rackham. Charles Seddon Evans (1883 – 1944) was an immensely well respected writer, editor and folklorist, who brings this magical story to life. He also wrote a version of The Sleeping Beauty as a companion volume to Cinderella, also illustrated by Arthur Rackham.
Cinderella was originally penned by Charles Perrault in his Histoires ou Contes du Temps Passé, it was an instant success. Perrault reported that he was told the story by some anonymous folk-story-tellers, and added extra details (such as the Fairy God-Mother, the much loved pumpkin carriage, anthropomorphic animal servants and the little glass slippers).Perrault (1628 – 1703) was among the first writers to bring magical children’s stories into the literary mainstream, proving to his original seventeenth century readers that such works were important, enjoyable, as well as thought-provoking. They remain as popular today, as they were then.
This illustrated Cinderella is accompanied throughout by a series of dazzling colour and black and white illustrations – by a master of the craft; Arthur Rackham (1867-1939). One of the most celebrated painters of the British Golden Age of Illustration (which encompassed the years from 1850 until the start of the First World War), Rackham’s artistry is quite simply, unparalleled. Throughout his career, he developed a unique style, combining haunting humour with dream-like romance. Presented alongside the text, his illustrations further refine and elucidate Perrault’s enchanting narrative.