Tall tale in fairy scale: Tiny children's book hand drawn for Queen Mary's doll's house to be published in human size
A tiny children's book created for a royal doll's house is to be published in human scale.
With pages scarcely bigger than a postage stamp and intricate drawings by a celebrated cartoonist, the miniature volume is a prized object in the Royal Collection.
But from next month youngsters everywhere will have the chance to read the story about a fairy called Joe Smith and his adventures when he falls out of fairyland and lands in London.
Fairy scale: Elizabeth Clark from the Royal Collection holds a miniature book made for Queen Mary's dolls' house. It measures 1.6in by 1.4in and contains a fairy story which has been reproduced for the first time
Light reading: The hand-written book is placed back among 200 other volumes in the miniature library of the dolls' house created for Queen Mary, consort of King George V, in 1922
The hand-written book measures just 1.6in by 1.4in and is one of 200 volumes in the miniature library of the dolls' house created for Queen Mary, consort of King George V, in 1922.
The model, kept at Windsor Castle and designed by renowned architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, is an aristocratic Edwardian home in miniature complete with fully furnished rooms, electricity, running water and lifts.
The book was created exclusively for the house by one of the foremost cartoonists of the day, Fougasse, real name Cyril Kenneth Bird.
He went on to edit the satirical magazine Punch and is best known for his Careless Talk Costs Lives posters, drawn for the Government during the Second World War.
Precision: The minuscule book comes complete with an embossed cover
Splendour: The library also holds a chess set, bust and globe
More than 170 authors are featured in tiny books for the house's library including Thomas Hardy, Rudyard Kipling, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Edith Wharton.
In Fougasse's book, written in verse with illustrations, Joe Smith tries to convince disbelievers he is a fairy.
After a series of adventures, including a turn on the London stage and an attempt to become an artist, Joe decides that fairyland is a safer place to be and returns home.
Steady hand: The title page shows the name of the author, cartoonist Fougasse (aka Cyril Kennth Bird)
Once upon a time: The story's opening
Royal Collection publisher Jacky Colliss Harvey said: 'This book is a miniature work of genius, full of sly wit and with Fougasse's unmistakable and charming illustrations.
'We are delighted to bring it to a wider audience as one of our new titles for children, although we are convinced it will appeal just as irresistibly to adults.'
The hardback children's story J Smith by Fougasse is published by Walker Books in collaboration with Royal Collection Publications on May 3, priced £10.
Adventure: The story of a fairy named Joe Smith, which is to be reproduced in human scale
Cosy: The house, kept at Windsor Castle and designed by the renowned architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, is an aristocratic Edwardian home in miniature complete with fully furnished rooms
Little and large: The tale of Joe Smith resting on top of a normal sized book
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