I was first introduced to Cicely Mary Barker's Flower Fairies when I was a child; I loved fairies and my parents would buy me fairy books and little figurines--Cicely Mary Barker's fairies in particular were always some of my favorites. I came across her work again as an adult and even wrote a few Patreon posts on her work because she's so inspiring. Her first fairy book was printed almost a century ago in 1923 and it's incredible that it's still so popular and beloved now. One of the things that I feel has made her work so enduring is her dedication to re-creating nature. All of the plants in her books are drawn from life; she'd even get clippings of different flowers and plants that were hard to source from other gardeners so that she could always from from real life. Even the fairies themselves were modeled off of children Barker knew. This gives her work a grounding in reality that really balances the whimsy of her work and makes the fairies feel more real and captivating. When I learned that Folio Society had released a complete collection of her books in matching cloth bound covers with screenprinted gilt detailing and re-mastered artwork I was immediately in love. They're the perfect collector pieces for anyone who loves Cicely Mary Barker's work and wants books that will still look and feel beautiful in another century. I'm a wee bit obsessed with Folio Society's books; I've already put a few of their books (like Letters from Fairyland) on my Christmas list and I also love buying them as gifts for friends and family I know also love a good book. Each book they produce is so special and I like to think of them as pieces that could be passed down through the generations.
*pictures edited with Toasty preset from my Cozy Pack*
CONVERSATION