Cicely Mary Barker

The Complete Flower Fairies

CA$230

Illustrated by the author

Cicely Mary Barker’s complete collection of Flower Fairies has been brought together in an exclusive new presentation by The Folio Society, with fully restored original paintings.

CA$230

Book Details

Presentation Box & BindingBound in blocked and screen-printed cloth
Printed and blocked slipcase
Printed endpapers
Gold and silver gilded page edges

Dimensions5¾ inches x 4¼ inches

FontSet in Golden Type

PagesVol 1: 56pp, Vol 2: 56pp, Vol 3: 48pp, Vol 4: 48pp, Vol 5: 48pp, Vol 6: 48pp, Vol 7: 48pp, Vol 8: 56pp (408 pages in total)

AuthorCicely Mary Barker

Illustrated bythe author

IllustrationPrinted full-colour throughout, featuring all existing fairy illustrations, plus further decorative line drawings.

Publication Date16/09/2020

Editor's Notes

When Cicely Mary Barker wrote and illustrated her first book, Flower Fairies of the Spring, little could she have imagined that it would be the foremost title in a best-selling series that remains beloved almost 100 years later. This new Folio Society box set sees Barker’s exquisite paintings and nature-inspired poems presented as a complete collection, in an exclusive new layout that best displays these imaginative illustrated verses. Working closely with the Frederick Warne Archive, we have carefully restored the original colour paintings, and the set also includes Barker’s line drawing decorations, as well as screen-printed bindings with individual designs inspired by fairies from each volume.

About the Author

Cicely Mary Barker was born in Croydon, South London, in 1895. Epileptic as a child, she was educated at home and took correspondence courses in art for several years. From 1911 she began to sell her drawings and paintings, many of which were sold on as postcards, in order to supplement her family’s income. She found wider acclaim as an artist with her delightful Flower Fairies books, the first of which, Flower Fairies of the Spring, was printed in 1923. From 1924, children attending her sister’s nursery school also modelled for Barker’s paintings. Barker said, ‘For many years I had an atmosphere of children about me – I never forgot it.’ Her flowers were painted from life, with frequent reference to specimens at Kew Gardens. Although Barker painted and published many works, both secular and devotional, it was the Flower Fairies that became internationally beloved and remain so. She died in 1973.

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The Complete Flower Fairies