This beautiful and scarce First Edition of The Orange Fairy Book by Andrew Lang was published by Longmans, Green and Co in 1906. So the book is from the Edwardian era.
***Please note that some of the illustrations have been coloured in and the book has been priced to reflect this***
The book is bound in orange cloth with stunning gilt decoration to the front board and spine. It's in good condition but it's showing it's age. The book has a pronounced forward lean and there is wear to the corners and board edges. There is rubbing and dulling to the gilt, and soiling to the orange cloth. The spine is very sunned and discoloured, whilst crushing to the spine ends has caused minor splitting in the cloth.
Inside, the hinges are just starting to crack slightly but there are no inscriptions. The pages show age toning and marking throughout, with sporadic foxing. As mentioned above, some of the illustrations have been coloured in. There are cracks to the gutter in places but no loose pages.
Andrew Lang, with the publisher Longmans, Green and Co, selected and edited twenty five collections of stories that were published within fourteen years. They proved popular when they were released and they have survived the test of time to become sought after editions for collectors. The antique editions are known for having beautiful and decorative covers (like this one!). He began with The Blue Fairy Book in 1889 and ending with The Strange Story Book in 1913.
Dimensions approximately 18.5cm x 13.5cm x 3cm.
The book will arrive hand wrapped in patterned wallpaper and string. The bubble wrap I use is 100% biodegradable and the jiffy bags are recyclable.
Where possible, I use 100% recyclable paper tape, but sometimes I have to use clear plastic tape for extra strength.