Magic World

NESBIT, E[dith]. The Magic World. With Illustrations by H[arold] R[obert] Millar and Spencer Pryse. London: Macmillan, 1912. 12mo, x 280 +[4] advts. Red cloth pictorially stamped in gilt. 12 b&w plates. Spine edges and corners a tad rubbed, spine lightly sunned, front hinge expertly (imperceptibly) mended, free endpapers toned, slight soiling in margins of one plate, else a surprisingly clean, bright copy. Scarce thus.

First edition. A wonderful collection of 12 fantasy tales for children from one of the early masters of the genre and the first author to make popular children’s books about magic occurring in the here and now. Filled with magic, dragons, magicians, curses, and royalty, these wondrous stories show the breadth of Nesbit’s clever and ironic prose. Nesbit’s mastery of the fantasy genre and lasting influence can be seen in these sharp and powerful tales (including one in which a girl enters a cupboard only to find herself in another world).