(Victorian Book Illustration, Color Wood-Engraving, Fairy Literature) DOYLE, Richard. IN FAIRYLAND: A SERIES OF PICTURES FROM THE ELF-WORLD; with a poem by William Allingham.
London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1875. SECOND EDITION. Folio - 15-1/4" x 10-15/16". All edges gilt. Publisher's full green cloth-covered boards stamped with gilt border, decorative fairy motifs, and title lettering to front cover, decorative gilt spine, and blind-stamped border to rear board. Plain endpapers with neat ink gift inscription dated Christmas 1903 on verso of front free endpaper. [5], [2], 3–31 leaves. Illustrated with a monochrome vignette title page and sixteen full-page plates from drawings by Richard Doyle, engraved and printed in color woodblock by master printer Edmund Evans. Laid in is a handwritten Easter 1923 letter from "Great Aunt Constance" reflecting on spring fairies painting flowers and teaching birds to sing.
The physical condition of the item is graded NEAR FINE (utilizing the standard antiquarian book grading scale for works on paper). The original publisher's cloth exhibits only minor shelf wear to the extremities while retaining bright, sharp gilt tooling on both the front board and spine. The text block is tight and firm. Internally clean, showing light spotting restricted to the blank reverse of the frontispiece plate, with all sixteen Edmund Evans color plates remaining remarkably fresh, vivid, and untouched by notable foxing or tears.
Victorian Color Printing and the Masterpiece of Fairy Art
Originally published at Christmas 1869 (post-dated 1870), In Fairyland stands as one of the quintessential monuments of Victorian children's literature and color woodblock printing. Richard "Dicky" Doyle, famed for his work in Punch magazine, created a dreamlike visual universe inhabited by playful, mischievous, and intricate woodland spirits. To accompany Doyle's suite of illustrations, the publishers commissioned Irish poet William Allingham to write a narrative verse titled "A Forest in Fairyland." The visual execution of the work was entrusted to Edmund Evans, the master wood engraver and color printer whose pioneering work with register-minded woodblock printing set the gold standard for nineteenth-century book production. Evans reproduced Doyle's subtle watercolor washes with stunning fidelity, utilizing multiple color blocks to achieve rich chromatic depth. This 1875 second edition retains the magnificent folio proportions and production standards of the original printing, preserving one of the most celebrated achievements of the Golden Age of English book illustration.
Publication History, Census, and Market Scarcity
Because of the heavy, large-format leaves and delicate gutta-percha or casing structures typical of Victorian gift books, surviving examples of In Fairyland are frequently found with pervasively foxed plates, broken gutters, or heavily rubbed cloth. Complete copies preserved in superior original publisher's cloth with bright gilding and unblemished color plates are exceptionally rare in the market.
THIS EXCEPTIONALLY WELL-PRESERVED FOLIO COPY, COMPLETE WITH ALL SIXTEEN EDMUND EVANS COLOR PLATES AND AN ENDEARING ACCOMPANYING PROVENANCE NOTE, OFFERS AN OUTSTANDING EXAMPLE OF NINETEENTH-CENTURY BOOKMAKING, REPRESENTING A CRITICAL ACQUISITION FOR INSTITUTIONAL SPECIAL COLLECTIONS OR EXTRAORDINARY PRIVATE COLLECTIONS DEVOTED TO THE HISTORY OF VICTORIAN BOOK ILLUSTRATION, COLOR WOOD-ENGRAVING, OR CHILDREN'S FANTASY LITERATURE.
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