Here at St Mary’s Books, “children’s books” is perhaps a misnomer. From our first editions of Harry Potter, to a Peter Rabbit Almanac, or a calendar, illustrated by Arthur Rackham, these books are more for adult collectors than children who love reading.

However, we have just acquired a beautiful book of fairy tales that will please both adults and children equally. This ornately decorated book of French fairy tales, retold by A. T. Quiller-Couch and illustrated by Edmund Dulac, will look wonderful as a centrepiece on a bookshelf or open on one’s knee being read to a child. Just be careful with the tissue paper that keeps Dulac’s illustrations safe!

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Edmund Dulac was a French illustrator who also had a career designing postage stamps. He started out as a lawyer but swiftly became bored and studied art at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts instead. We think this was the right choice, since he ultimately had a successful career illustrations books for Hodder and Stoughton, including Hans Christian Andersen stories and Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Something about his illustrations is reminiscent of Arthur Rackham, another great children’s illustrator famous for his Alice in Wonderland.

You can find out more about this delightful and attractive book here.