Celtic Wonder-Tales.
Dublin: Maunsel & Company, 1910. Four tipped-in color plates by Maud Gonne with numerous black and white illustrations throughout. First edition, first printing. Publisher's blue cloth, illustratively stamped in white. viii, 201, [2]. 8" x 6" Toned spine with spine titles completely rubbed away, lightly worn corners, moderate rubbing and light toning to extremities, a few spots of color loss to cover stamping, still very good. Overall a square and internally clean copy with still brightly colored illustrations. Item #238064
WOMEN OF THE CELTIC REVIVAL
Ella Young believed in a world of enchantment and Irish Republicanism. As a woman who walked with faeries and was known for wearing purple Druid robes as she lectured, Young's mystical sense collided with the early twentieth century's Celtic Revival. As Irish sentiments towards English overreach festered, literary figures like Young turned to Celtic folktales, publishing Celtic Wonder-Tales in 1910 to capture the ancient Irish soul and spur fellow Irishmen into political action.
Literature and politics blurred as Young and Maud Gonne, W. B. Yeats' muse, founded the radical nationalist women's group, Inghinidhe na hÉireann (Daughters of Ireland) the same year of Celtic Wonder-Tales' publication. The women crossed paths in various Irish literary and political groups before Gonne illustrated Young's first published folktale, The Coming of Lugh. She returned with her stately and beautifully colored illustrations in this collection. This first edition is square and internally clean, capturing Young's fellow rebels' stately spirit and deep love of country.
Price: $850.00