The Princess of Hearts by Sheila Braine.
(Blackie & Son Ltd. 1899).

Alice B. Woodward’s illustrations are both whimsical and delicate, capturing a story that is surprisingly dark for a Victorian children's tale.
The plot follows Prince Jack of Hearts, who is tricked by a wizard into trading his real heart for one made of cold marble. Without his his own ”will” or feelings, he’s unable to lead, leaving Princess Joan to brave a journey to win his heart back before the kingdom falls to war.
There is something special about holding a book that has survived over 120 years. The combination of Braine’s storytelling and Woodward’s Art Nouveau illustrations makes this a special gem in my collection.

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The Blue Bird by Maurice Maeterlinck

L'Oiseau bleu, translated by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos. Illustrations by F. Cayley Robinson. Methuen & Co. Ltd. Edition de Luxe 1911.

The play premiered at the Moscow Art Theatre in 1908, directed by the Konstantin Stanislavski, and was presented on Broadway in 1910. Maeterlinck was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911.

Tyltyl and Mytyl, two poor children, are visited by a fairy. She gives them a mission to seek out the Blue Bird of Happiness. To aid them, they receive a hat with a diamond that allows them to see the true souls of all things. The the stones in the house walls become gemstones: ”All stones are valuable, if one only sees it”.
Their dog and cat can speak and are happy to be understood by the children. The water takes on a shimmering form, the fire sweeps around. The bread comes to life and the numbers dance out of the clock. Light is a beautiful being, appointed to be the children’s guide in their quest.

First, they search in the Garden of Memory, where they meet their deceased grandparents and the siblings lost in infancy.

They continue to the Palace of Night, with its dark halls of sickness, war, terror, and horrors.

Then they come to the Forest and meet the trees, who express grief over humankind evil.

Next they discover the Garden of Temporary Luxuries, where they also finds the Cave of Misery.

In the Kingdom of the Future, they meet Father Time and all the unborn children occupied developing their special talents.

But the Blue Bird continues to elude them. The children are tired and long for their parents. So they return home, accepting that they have failed to complete their quest.

But then they discover that their own grey dove - has turned blue 💙.

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