Illustrated by Raverat for her Great Uncle's Children's Tale

WEDGEWOOD, Henry Allen; Gwen RAVERAT [Illus.] ~ The Bird Talisman. Inscribed by Walter de la Mare.

FIRST UK PRINTING. Faber and Faber Limited, London: 1939

8vo., bright blue cloth with full-length pink painted label to backstrip gilt, together with decorative gilt border; clipped pictorial dustwrapper reproducing the frontis woodcut in full colour by Raverat; as well as the frontis, an additional 54 woodcuts including title page vignette, full and half page illustrations, and numerous in text, head and tailpieces; 8 in colour; THE BOOK a lovely copy, very good overall, with endpapers offset and spotting extending from the outer edges to the prelims; the like DUSTWRAPPER a little browned, spotted and shelf-worn, nicks and chips to head and foot of spine, as well as ends of folds; clipped, but retaining price of 7s. 6d. net to the front flap. The wrapper is protected in a removable Brodart archival cover. First edition thus, with Raverat's enigmatic illustrations. This copy inscribed by Walter de la Mare to the front free endpaper to H and M Nicholson, and dated Christmas 1949. An Arabian Nights-style tale, originally written by the illustrator's Great Uncle Harry Wedgewood for his children. Wedgewood was the grandson of the famous potter Josiah Wedgewood, and brother-in-law of Charles Darwin. The story was originally published in 'The Family Tutor' in 1852, and was later privately printed in 1887. The story follows a little princess who comes into possession of a magic ring, allowing her to communicate with birds. Walter de la Mare greatly admired Raverat's work, and the pair later collaborated on his 1942 publication 'Crossings: A Fairy Play' (Faber, 1942). A lovely copy with these charming illustrations.

BINDING: Hardcover
CONDITION: Very Good
JACKET: Very Good