In Fairyland: A Series of Pictures from the Elf-World

London: Longmans, Green, Reader, & Dyer, 1870 . First edition. Cloth. Very Good. 15.5" by 11". Richard Doyle. A lovely first edition copy of Richard Doyle and William Allingham's beautifully illustrated fairy tales, illustrated throughout with Doyle's plates. The first edition of this beautifully illustrated work from Richard Doyle, with his charming plates accompanying a whimsical poem from William Allingham.Illustrated with sixteen bright full colour plates from Richard Doyle. The frontispiece has been missbound following plate V. Collated, complete.Richard Doyle, the uncle of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, was a popular Victorian illustrator. Training under his father, the political cartoonist John Doyle, the young Richard Doyle would join the famous 'Punch' magazine aged 19. Entrusted with designing the masthead for the magazine, his design would feature on the cover of 'Punch' for almost a century. Though a prolific illustrator, he was know for being incredibly unreliable, once nearly loosing a commission to illustrate Thackeray's 'The Newcomes', due to consistent tardiness. This contributed to his limited successes during his lifetime.First Edition. Published in 1869, yet volumes were post-dated 1870, (JISC).'In Fairyland' is widely considered Doyle's finest work. Showcasing the depth of Doyle's talents and imagination, this work paints a charming picture of the magical 'elf-land', sure to capture the imagination of adults and children alike. In the publisher's original cloth binding. Rebacked, with original back strip laid down, retaining original endpapers. Bumping to spine head and tail. Light rubbing to board perimeters and tail of rear joint, resulting in a touch of fraying to the cloth. Rear hinge and head of front hinge starting, with boards holding firm. Bookplate to front free endpaper. Internally, firmly bound. Frontispiece missbound following plate V. Pages generally clean and bright, with some instances of light spotting to plate perimeters. Very Good