TUMMELISA [THUMBELINA]

First edition, first printing. Swedish language. Original illustrated paper-covered boards with a green cloth spine, in dustwrapper. Decorated endpapers. With colour illustration plates by Elsa Beskow throughout. A very good copy, the binding firm, the foot of the spine with a minor bump and the board lightly rubbed and toned at the edges. The contents, with a contemporary family gift inscription to the front free endpaper and offsetting to the endpapers (from the original binding materials), are otherwise clean and bright throughout. Complete with the lightly rubbed, chipped, toned and spotted original dustwrapper that has a closed tear to the top edge of the front panel. Scarce, especially so in dustwrapper.

Inscribed by the Swedish writer and cousin of the illustrator Elsa Beskow "With love / from Elisabeth B-W / Jan 1909". A beautiful edition of Hans Christian Andersen's classic fairytale, delicately illustrated by Elsa Beskow (1874-1953), one of Sweden's most beloved children's illustrators and writers.