1896-1987 Books For the Bairns. I. Aesop's Fables. W. T. Stead and His "Books For the Bairns".

Description

First Edition, Illustrated, Publishers' Original Binding, Rebound, Scarce

A curated three volume set of scarce works, containing two copies of the first edition of 'Books For the Bairns. I. Aesop's Fables', one in the original publisher's paper wraps, the other rebound in cloth with the original wraps bound in, alongside Sally Wood's bibliographical work 'W. T. Stead and His "Books For the Bairns"'. The cloth bound edition includes the new series of Aesop's 'Fables', being 'Books for the Bairns No. XXVI'. Held together in a custom paper clamshell, which is in a very good condition.

Aesop's 'Fables' was the first volume in Stead's popular series 'Books for the Bairns', which published fairy tales and works of classical literature for children.

Sally Wood's volume offers a bibliography of Stead's works, as well as a brief biography on him.

Aesop's Fables is a selection of fables, generally attributed to the Ancient Greek storyteller Aesop, who lived around 620 BCE-564 BCE. The fables are moral tales that guide in religious and secular aspects of life, following adventures of many different creatures.

All three works are illustrated in-text throughout. The new series of Aesop's 'Fables' is illustrated by Brinsley le Fanu.

W. T. Stead was a newspaper editor and a pioneer of investigative journalism. He died in 1912 in the sinking of the Titanic.

This set was curated by Eric Sweet, with his bookplate to the front paste down of the cloth bound first edition. Sweet was a keen collector of private press and fables. He studied at the Brighton College of Art, before moving to London to work as a lettering artist and typographer for advertising agencies, later becoming the head of Birmingham School of Printing. Sweet's bindings are unique and striking, reflecting the topics of the volumes in distinctive style.