Description

Indian Fairy Tales – Illustrated by John D. Batten

‘Indian Fairy Tales’ is a collection of twenty-nine classic Indian stories, collated by Joseph Jacobs, and accompanied by the masterful black-and-white illustrations of John D. Batten. It includes such tales as ‘The Lion and the Crane’, ‘How the Raja’s Son won the Princess Labam’, ‘The Magic Fiddle’, ‘The Tiger, the Brahman and the Jackal’, ‘The Soothsayer’s Son’, ‘The Gold-giving Serpent’, and many more. Joseph Jacobs (1854 – 1916), was an Australian folklorist, literary critic, historian and writer of English literature, who became a notable collector and publisher of English folklore.

John Dickson Batten (1860 – 1932), was a British figure painter, as well as a book illustrator and printmaker. He illustrated almost all of Jacob’s works, including, English Fairy Tales (1890), Celtic Fairy Tales (1892), Indian Fairy Tales (1912), and European Folk and Fairy Tales (1916). In addition, Batten is also celebrated for his delicately rendered imaginings of Arabian Nights and Dante’s Inferno. Presented alongside the text, his illustrations further refine and elucidate Joseph Jacob’s enchanting narratives.

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With works such as Indian 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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