A Flower Wedding 'Described by Two Wildflowers' - Decorated by Walter Crane. Published by Cassell and Company in 1905. First edition.

This is a rare, wonderfully illustrated book by the highly influential Walter Crane. The colorful illustrations and typography were done in the Art Nouveau style. It includes 40+ full color illustrations from lithographic plates by Crane who was one of the best-loved designers of the British Arts and Crafts movement.

Crane produced this beautifully illustrated poem that tells the delightful story of a wedding day in 1905. The illustrated verse’s full-colour drawings by Walter Crane, show every kind of flower personified as guests at the wedding of young Lad’s Love and Miss Meadow Sweet.

This is a fine copy of this stunning, illustrated poem. You'll rarely find another like it! This is a wonderful collector's item and would be perfect for display! Would also make a lovely gift for a wedding or engagement. 

*** "Walter Crane (1845-1915) was an English artist and book illustrator. He is considered to be the most influential, and among the most prolific, children's book creators of his generation and, along with Randolph Caldecott and Kate Greenaway, one of the strongest contributors to the child's nursery motif that the genre of English children's illustrated literature would exhibit in its developmental stages in the later 19th century. Crane's work featured some of the more colourful and detailed beginnings of the child-in-the-garden motifs that would characterize many nursery rhymes and children's stories for decades to come." ***

This is a hardback, measuring 10¼" x 7¼" Original cloth backed decorated pictorial boards. The plates were original "French fold" format, that is, 40 leaves are printed on one side only on heavy stock, with the folds at the fore-edge. This is a good tight, clean copy. A very near fine copy -- some wear on cover and signs of use at the extremities of the boards. Pages are tight to the spine, with no rips, tears or personal handwriting to the pages with the exception of light pencil markings by the British bookstore owner including a price in Pounds sterling and “1st” (see photo 4).

“Designed throughout by Crane, including hand-lettered text, decorative endpapers printed in red (wooodcuts?); small printed design in red and black on verso of front free endpaper. In quarter green cloth; pictorial paper-covered boards, designed by Crane, in two shades of green on cream-colored paper (woodcuts transferred to lithograph?). Printed on double leaves with folds at fore edge.”

“A Flower Wedding by Walter Crane is actually one of his signature books, where he is able to show his wide range of talents. He wrote the text, chose the typography and completely designed this book from the turn of the 20th Century….Mr. Crane …with Mrs. Molesworth …. excelled in black and white drawings. This time we’ll have a chance to enjoy… Walter Crane’s colors and relatively minimalist scenery with many subtle details for which he was always known (many experts agree Crane’s best work for children are his illustrations of fairy tales of brothers Grimm). A Flower Wedding is a picture book with series of two-page illustrations (so called block pages)….Enjoy….the lovely characters, superb selection of colors and the overall fairy feeling!”