Flower Fairies of the Autumn by Cicely M. Barker c.1930s Illustrated w/ Jacket
 
Poems and Pictures by Cicely Mary Barker
Published by Blackie & Son Limited, London & Glasgow. Circa late 1930s (pre-1941).
 
Bibliographic Details
 
Title: Flower Fairies of the Autumn
Author: Cicely Mary Barker
Publisher: Blackie & Son Ltd., London & Glasgow
Printer: Printed in Great Britain
Publication Date: Circa late 1930s, pre-1941 edition
Binding: Paper-covered boards with original illustrated dust jacket
Pagination: Unnumbered; 24 full-page colour plates plus illustrated frontispiece and half title page
Dimensions: Approximately 14.2 × 11 × 0.9 cm
Weight: Approximately 105 grams
 
Publishing History
 
Flower Fairies of the Autumn was first published in 1926, following the success of Flower Fairies of the Spring and Flower Fairies of the Summer. This particular edition, printed by Blackie & Son Ltd. and showing the 50 Old Bailey, London and 17 Stanhope Street, Glasgow addresses, dates from the late 1930s, prior to 1941 when the publisher’s London office was destroyed in the Blitz.
 
As with most Blackie editions, this copy is undated; however, the address provides a reliable dating marker verified by bibliographic sources and comparable copies held in UK institutional and collector catalogues.
 
Physical Description and Condition
 
Exterior Condition:
Includes the original dust jacket, clipped but intact and robust. The jacket is in good condition for its age, with only light wear at the edges, minor rubbing, and small creases. The front bears a vibrant colour illustration and floral decorations, with title and author lettering. The rear lists other titles in the Flower Fairies series.
The boards beneath the jacket are paper-covered with colour decorations, title and illustration to the front, and matching spine titling. Very light rubbing and minor bumping to corners, but overall well-preserved and bright.
 
Interior Condition:
Features illustrated fairy endpapers and pastedowns, typical of mid-century Flower Fairies volumes. Pages are lightly tanned but clean, neat, and uncreased, with only occasional light foxing and a few tiny creases. There are no inscriptions, save for a small retailer’s sticker on the rear pastedown (“Dressers (Stationers) Ltd, Darlington”).

All 24 colour plates are present and accounted for and remain bright and charming. Binding is secure, with no loose pages or tears.
 
 
Features
 
Original illustrated dust jacket (pre-1941)
24 beautiful colour plates by Cicely Mary Barker
Illustrated endpapers and pastedowns
Light and clean interior condition
Printed by Blackie & Son Ltd., London & Glasgow
Scarce early edition from before the wartime address change
 
Historical and Collectible Significance
 
Cicely Mary Barker’s Flower Fairies series is among the most beloved examples of early 20th-century children’s illustration, blending botanical accuracy with charming poetic fantasy.

This particular Autumn volume captures the deep colours and gentle melancholy of the season, with depictions of the Sloe Fairy, the Acorn Fairy, and the Elderberry Fairy; images now iconic in the history of British illustration.
 
Early editions printed before 1941 are increasingly scarce, particularly in their original dust jackets, as many were lost or damaged during wartime paper restrictions and bombings.