This is a 1912 presumed first edition, published by Duffield and Company, The book runs 168 pages, and to me, MacKay's stories are more for adults than children -- it reads like fantasy stories written for adults. (I keep thinking of A.S. Byatt's work.) It is 8.5 x 6.5 in size.
The book has 8 full-page color plate illustrations and numerous small pen-and-ink works scattered throughout the book. The pen-and-ink drawings are more typical of Walker's later work, and while the color plate works are lovely, I do detect a certain Maxfield Parrish influence that Walker would drop as he came into his own.
A charming book in so many regards, it is a great addition to any collection!
BOOK CONDITION
The sage green hard cover of this 100-year-old book shows wear and discoloration around the edges and the tips are worn down to the boards. The art nouveau font lettering and peacock design are a bit rubbed.
The interior pages show some age-related tanning. All of the color plates are intact, although one plate has detached from the margin. The major interior condition issue is regarding the edges of some of the pages. I think the book may have had unopened pages (some old books were published this way) and someone did a very rough job of opening some them, which caused the edges of some pages to be very rough. (See pictures.) I would estimate about 10 to 15 pages are in this conditon, and it does not impact text or illustrations.
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