Lady Cottington’s Pressed Fairy Book
Product Description
This 10 3/4 anniversary edition features a new introduction by Terry Jones & Brian Froud, 8 new pages with a fairy sticker and a bonus DVD which contains never before seen film interview with Lady Angelica Cottington & additional material from the Cottington Archive.
The publishing sensation of the Edwardian age was the photograph of a small girl surrounded by fairies that appeared in The Regular magazine in 1907 — the so-called Cottington hoax. While the child in the picture was known to be Angelica, only daughter of Lord Cottington of Bovey, its authenticity was hotly debated. Now at last we have the truth about the photograph, and the whole extraordinary story behind it.
This is an exact reproduction of Angelica Cottington's Pressed Fairy Book, including the handwritten diary of her collecting exploits and other fairy-related incidents in her remarkable life. It all began twelve years before the publication of the notorious photograph...
"July 6th 1895. Nanna wuldnt bleive me. Ettie wuldnt bleive me. Auntie Mercy wuldnt bleive me. But I got one. Now theyv got to bleive me."
Even as a small child Angelica understood the importance of evidence. It's not enough to have seen something — you've got to be able to prove it. As her diary reveals, the future Lady Cottington's technique for collecting fairies became — like her literary style — more sophisticated over the years. However, the pattern of her lifelong hobby — indeed, of her life — was settled the very first time she snapped her book shut.
"Aug 10th 1896. I new ther was faereys behind the potting shed. So I went and sat very still with my book open on my lap and the faereys was curius and inkwizitf and they all came round to look at me and one landed on my book and I went SNAP! I banged the book shut and I cort the faerey it is a reelly bewtiful one. I like it best."
Who could fail to share her pride and exhilaration over such delightful trophies? Nothing could be more charming than these dainty little creatures, caught either literally on the wing or having just alighted on the page. Others, it is true, have a more malevolent aspect, sometimes even angry expressions, almost as if they resented the little girl's fun...
Reading her engagingly innocent account, we learn how the fairies entered her life; how they led her on a merry dance; and how the fairies prevented her from marrying. For truly, Lady Cottington is the victim in this astonishing story, however sorry one may feel for the poor little creatures captured so emphatically between the pages of her book.
Not that any cruelty was involved. The publisher wishes to make it absolutely clear that there is no proof whatsoever that fairies can feel pain, apart from the purely anecdotal evidence of the high-pitched shrieks etc. recorded by Lady Cottington herself. Besides, no less an authority than the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Fairies confirms, in an unusual disclaimer, that these images are in fact psychic impressions, not, as they appear to be, all too physical ones, including bodily fluids.
Be that as it may, we are all in Lady Cottington's debt. Thanks to her childhood discovery and her remorseless search — her obsession, if you like — we have not only irrefutable evidence of the existence of fairies but also a rainbow gallery of exquisite, iridescent, albeit somewhat battered-looking fairies.
Terry Jones is perhaps best known as a scriptwriter and member of the Monty Python team. He is a highly successful performer, writer, and director for film, radio, and television with classics such as Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Life of Brian, and The Meaning of Life to his name. He played the role of the irascible Toad in his most recent film, The Wind in the Willows, for which he wrote the screenplay and also directed. Terry Jones has also received widespread acclaim for his hilarious award-winning children's books.
Brian Froud is a popular and highly acclaimed artist whose imaginative portrayals of fantasy worlds and people in particular are recognized world wide. He worked on Jim Henson's fantasy films and illustrated the best-selling Fairies and Goblins of the Labyrinth. His most recent book is the acclaimed Good Fairies/Bad Fairies.
A beautifully illustrated padded hard cover book. A magical and mystical gift.
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Customer Reviews for Lady Cottington’s Pressed Fairy Book:
Number of Reviews: 1
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Author: marilyn fitzpatrick
From: chadstone, vic
22 Apr 2005 10:59:36
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I have Fairies In my Garden Too
I have allways beleived in fairies as do my kids we still beleive,I have a fairy courtyard with fairy ornaments everywhere,with roses and lots of flowers.This book is all about just that....imagination at its greatest,I think it should read....the greatest story ever told.
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