This beautiful and rare edition of Alice and Other Fairy Plays for Children by Kate Freiligrath Kroeker was published by George Bell and Sons in 1881. This is an early edition as the first edition was brought out in 1880.
The book features a play version of Lewis Carroll's Alice and three other plays for children.
The book is bound in green cloth over bevelled boards and features blind stamped decoration in black and gilt detail to the front board and spine. It's had some restoration work to the spine and also to the internal text block. A new cloth spine has been inserted under the original spine.
There is wear to the corners with the board peeping out beneath the cloth. The boards show some bleaching to the green cloth, possibly from some past water damage. There is rubbing and marking to the boards and air bubbling to the cloth. The board edges are rubbed and bumped. The spine is darkened and you can see where the cloth was split along the external front hinge - this is now securely glued to the new cloth spine. Crushing to the spine ends had caused splitting but again this has been repaired.
Inside, the hinges have been reinforced with tape and the text block has been resewn. The FFEP is missing and the preliminary pages stick out a little from the edge of the text block (they also show some wear and tear to the edges). The pages show age toning and foxing throughout with occasional marking. Some of the page edges are chipped and there is creasing to the paper in places. The book features full page black and white plates.
Dimensions approximately 18.6cm x 13cm x 2.8cm.
The book will arrive hand wrapped in patterned wallpaper and ribbon.
I use a range of eco friendly, 100% recyclable jiffy bags and boxes, and whenever possible I use brown paper tape. The green bubble wrap is biodegradable and the clear bubble wrap is 100% recyclable. I also reuse boxes when I feel it's appropriate (if the boxes are sturdy enough).