Betty Barber’s Book Showcases Peak Rackham Re-Issue Allure

With original editions of Arthur Rackham’s early works reaching astronomical prices as his fame crested into legend status, quality reissues brought renewed attention to overlooked past gems. Case in point – Duckworth & Co.’s 1910 collected release of Betty Barber tales by Maggie Browne. Though Rackham executed the 12 black and white plus 6 color drawings back in 1901 for Little Folks magazine, fresh luxurious bindings and hand-colored plates by decorator Harry Rountree fused vintage allure with contemporary appeal.

While Browne enjoyed acclaim for titles like 1890’s Wanted – A King, her corpus faded over the century. But quality editions kept Rackham’s visions eternal. For completists, Betty Barber captures the ironic dichotomy of Rackham’s original publishers letting much early work lapse into obscurity only to see successor imprints leverage his reputation resurrecting forgotten collaborations to profit from voracious collectors and adoring public alike.

Format: Brown cloth binding with pasted color illustration and black lettering, gilt top (129 pages)

Size: 6 1⁄2 x 8 1⁄2 inches

Text: The Book of Betty Barber by Maggie Browne
Author of “Wanted—A King,” etc.
With illustrations drawn by Arthur Rackham, A.R.W.S.
and coloured by Harry Rountree
Published by Duckworth and Co.
London, 1910.
Henrietta St., Covent Garden

[pseud. Margaret Hamer Andrewes]

Illustrations: 6 color plates and 12 black & white drawings by Arthur Rackham; colored by Harry Rountree

Note: Originally appeared in Little Folks magazine (1901) as uncolored black & white art

Publisher: Duckworth & Co. (London)

First Published: Little Folks (1901)

Release Date: 1910

Maggie Browne

Maggie Browne was the pen name of prolific late Victorian children’s author Margaret Andrewes, who enchanted young readers under various guises while capturing whimsy and imagination prospering before harsher 20th century realities set in.

Born Margaret Hamer in 1860s Yorkshire, her bookseller father worked for prominent publisher Cassell, which printed her first titles by age 20. 1885’s Wanted – A King gained fame as an “Alice in Wonderland” type fantasy starring spirited heroine Merle asserting independence. Browne married stockbroker Herbert Andrewes in 1896, raising children while continuing children’s stories until the Edwardian era.

Browne’s tales appeared in outlets like beloved Cassell’s magazine Little Folks across decades. Several saw new life in collectible editions graced by famed fantasy artist Arthur Rackham. Though largely forgotten as children’s literature evolved, Browne’s vision questing heroines breaking conventions to chart their own curiosities channel youthful determination facing shifting cultural mores.

Just as Rackham visuals shaped nascent fantasy genre directions, Browne’s influential storytelling cradled successor talents. Modern creators from C.S. Lewis to J.K. Rowling inheriting readership still follow adventurous girls and boys undaunted toward imagination’s expanse.