Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Letters [Hardcover]

Ari Berk (Author), Brian Froud (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2005

The Cottington Archive reluctantly announces that more information about the infamous Lady Cottington has surfaced: a scrapbook compiled by the fairy smasher herself of her correspondence with luminaries such as Queen Victoria, Annie Oakley, Igor Stravinsky, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Andrew Lang, P.T. Barnum, and more. All about fairies, these hilarious letters contain everything from wisdom to suggestions to chastisement. Lady Cottington has made notes in the margins not to mention smashed fairies throughout (will she EVER STOP this nasty habit?!). And the fairies...ah the fairies...they too have done their part, sprinkling magic and mayhem throughout.

Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Letters, a facsimile reproduction of Lady Cottington's original volume, combines the nutty artistry of the first two Lady Cottington books with delightful novelty components. Containing "actual" letters, invoices for "spiritual services," a fairy Valentine, an invitation from Alice Liddell to tea, and more, this newest interactive addition to the Lady Cottington series is the most innovative to date.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Brian Froud is an award-winning illustrator, author, and fairy authority. His books include international best sellers Faeries, with Alan Lee, Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Book, with Monty Python's Terry Jones, Lady Cottington's Fairy Album, and The Faeries Oracle. He also served as the conceptual designer on Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. He lives in Devon, England.

Ari Berk is a folklorist, poet, and scholar of literature, ethnography, iconography, and comparative myth. He is also the author of scholarly studies as well as popular titles for children and adults, most notably Abrams' The Runes of Elfland and Goblins! (with Brian Froud). Dr. Berk is an assistant professor of English at Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams; 1ST edition (October 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810957884
• ISBN-13: 978-0810957886
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 9.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #964,761 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most Unusual, Original and Unique book I have ever had !, September 20, 2005

By 

Glenna L. Robinson "Faerynutt" (Whidbey Island, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Letters (Hardcover)

This is a must have for Froud fans, this book is so incredibly imaginative. Kind of a pop-up, pull-out 3-D for adult faery lovers. Totally unexpected silliness (even for Froud), also the same touching sweetness as with all the Cottington Books, Sweetness you say, a book about Squished Faeries? YES! believe it or not, very touching, I was quite surprised when I read the first Cottington, and it has continued on with this latest release, but with special little seals, envelopes to open and read, such fun, and almost like you really are seeing into some other person personal past life. That's why I so carefully opened and removed the content of each little envelope, it felt like they may crumble away with age. I really was taken with this book as you can tell. But then don't take my word for it see for yourself. This book is special!

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Such fun! Such artistry!, December 29, 2005

By 

dSavannah George-Jones (rural Arkansas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Letters (Hardcover)

I am a big fan of Lady Cottington's work, and this is another great installment in the series.

The artistry is amazing - the amount of work required to not only paint (or "squash") the fairies is immense, but then to paint a "mirror" on the opposite page, and have it look like a fairy really was pressed between the pages - I can't even begin to imagine how much work it took!

The authors clearly had fun putting this together. Although there is no "plot", you get a sense of a story - Lady Angelica is plaqued by fairies, and is also missing her mother, so she writes letters to famous people and collects the responses, with further tauntings by fairies.

The books is extremely amusing! There were moments when I laughed out loud - for instance, on the inside back cover, there is a list of the letters and their authors, as well as a short bio on the author. W. S. Gilbert is described as being "...the very model of an English playwright/lyricist."

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Faerie Wonderful, January 11, 2007

By 

T. LittleBear "WldWcnWmn" (Pacific Northwest) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Letters (Hardcover)

This book is so nice I bought one for my mom for her birthday! Of course it was part of a huge stack we took to have Brian Froud sign - which makes it even more sweet! Very funny reading and the drawings are just fabulous!