Cicely Mary Barker

The Complete Flower Fairies

£125

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.

The Complete Flower Fairies

£125
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.
Paintings Restored From First Editions of the Books

Barker’s whimsical verses introduce the reader to fairies that appear throughout the seasons, as different trees and plants bloom. For this beautifully conceived box set, we returned to the first editions of all eight original Flower Fairies books and designed a gorgeous new boxed set, including every fairy painted by Barker. Each poem is individually presented on the facing page to its relevant painting, just as in the first editions of Barker’s little volumes, while our font has been carefully selected for its close resemblance to the original. Barker’s paintings are both botanically accurate and exquisite in their execution, and these delicate watercolours have been painstakingly restored from the original editions, which are held at the Frederick Warne Archive.

1 of 6

Paintings Restored From First Editions of the Books

Barker’s whimsical verses introduce the reader to fairies that appear throughout the seasons, as different trees and plants bloom. For this beautifully conceived box set, we returned to the first editions of all eight original Flower Fairies books and designed a gorgeous new boxed set, including every fairy painted by Barker. Each poem is individually presented on the facing page to its relevant painting, just as in the first editions of Barker’s little volumes, while our font has been carefully selected for its close resemblance to the original. Barker’s paintings are both botanically accurate and exquisite in their execution, and these delicate watercolours have been painstakingly restored from the original editions, which are held at the Frederick Warne Archive.

2 of 6

Paintings Restored From First Editions of the Books

Barker’s whimsical verses introduce the reader to fairies that appear throughout the seasons, as different trees and plants bloom. For this beautifully conceived box set, we returned to the first editions of all eight original Flower Fairies books and designed a gorgeous new boxed set, including every fairy painted by Barker. Each poem is individually presented on the facing page to its relevant painting, just as in the first editions of Barker’s little volumes, while our font has been carefully selected for its close resemblance to the original. Barker’s paintings are both botanically accurate and exquisite in their execution, and these delicate watercolours have been painstakingly restored from the original editions, which are held at the Frederick Warne Archive.

3 of 6

Paintings Restored From First Editions of the Books

Barker’s whimsical verses introduce the reader to fairies that appear throughout the seasons, as different trees and plants bloom. For this beautifully conceived box set, we returned to the first editions of all eight original Flower Fairies books and designed a gorgeous new boxed set, including every fairy painted by Barker. Each poem is individually presented on the facing page to its relevant painting, just as in the first editions of Barker’s little volumes, while our font has been carefully selected for its close resemblance to the original. Barker’s paintings are both botanically accurate and exquisite in their execution, and these delicate watercolours have been painstakingly restored from the original editions, which are held at the Frederick Warne Archive.

4 of 6

Paintings Restored From First Editions of the Books

Barker’s whimsical verses introduce the reader to fairies that appear throughout the seasons, as different trees and plants bloom. For this beautifully conceived box set, we returned to the first editions of all eight original Flower Fairies books and designed a gorgeous new boxed set, including every fairy painted by Barker. Each poem is individually presented on the facing page to its relevant painting, just as in the first editions of Barker’s little volumes, while our font has been carefully selected for its close resemblance to the original. Barker’s paintings are both botanically accurate and exquisite in their execution, and these delicate watercolours have been painstakingly restored from the original editions, which are held at the Frederick Warne Archive.

5 of 6

Paintings Restored From First Editions of the Books

Barker’s whimsical verses introduce the reader to fairies that appear throughout the seasons, as different trees and plants bloom. For this beautifully conceived box set, we returned to the first editions of all eight original Flower Fairies books and designed a gorgeous new boxed set, including every fairy painted by Barker. Each poem is individually presented on the facing page to its relevant painting, just as in the first editions of Barker’s little volumes, while our font has been carefully selected for its close resemblance to the original. Barker’s paintings are both botanically accurate and exquisite in their execution, and these delicate watercolours have been painstakingly restored from the original editions, which are held at the Frederick Warne Archive.

6 of 6

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.