First trade edition, second issue (bound entirely in cloth), an excellent copy, rarely found with the original box. Nielsen's style in this book flirts with the border between Art Nouveau and Art Deco, with surprising yet captivating results. Published when he was only 27, it was the Danish-born illustrator's first commission from an English publisher, leading to one of his most famous books the next year: EAST OF THE SUN, WEST OF THE MOON. A highlight of the Golden Age gift books, with the power to turn the heads of anyone interested in the era of Marie Antoinette. Quarto. 10.25'' x 8''. Original lavender pictorial cloth elaborately stamped in green and brown, gilt-stamped spine. In original pictorial box with mounted color plate. Pictorial endpapers. Illustrated by Nielsen with 24 beautiful tipped-in color plates with pictorial tissue guards and in-text images. xii, 13-164 pages. Spine ends gently bumped, some light foxing to edges, endpapers, and infrequently throughout, else lovely