Arthur Rackham - The Allies' Fairy Book (signed limited edition) - 1916

"The Allies' Fairy Book" illustrated by Arthur Rackham

William Heinemann, London - 1916 limited edition of 525 copies, this being no 76, signed by illustrator Arthur Rackham - 121p, 18cmx15cm - 20 tipped in colored plates onto brown card with tissue guards - condition: good copy, with some wear and soiling to original blue boards, complete with all plates.

this patriotic wartime book of fairy tales with traditional stories from all the countries who had joined the Allied Forces by 1916. In the introduction Edmund Gosse explains that the stories were collected to connect "the fighting friends of humanity," citing the "almost universal distribution of fairy tales." In addition to familiar classics like "Jack the Giant-Killer" (England) and "Sleeping Beauty" (France), the anthology includes tales from countries less commonly remembered as allies during the First World War, including "The Fox's Wedding" (Japan) and "Cesarino and the Dragon" (Italy)