Maidens, Monsters and Heroes: The Fantasy Illustrations of H. J. Ford (Dover Fine Art, History of Art)

Henry Justice Ford is best known for his collaboration with Andrew Lang on a popular series of twelve "Color" fairy tale books published at the turn of the twentieth century. The artist and the folklorist also worked together on books with settings ranging from the Middle Ages through the eighteenth century, including The Red Book of Animal Stories and The Book of Saints and Heroes. Ford’s other works include The Book of Princes and Princesses, Old Testament Legends, The Book of the Happy Warrior, The Arabian Nights Entertainments, and Pilgrim’s Progress. Editor and graphic artist Jeff A. Menges, who provides an informative commentary, assembled this dazzling gallery of Ford’s heroes, supernatural creatures, saints, and historic figures. Half of the compilation’s images appear here in the rare full-color formats of their original publication. Art lovers and book collectors alike will rejoice in this treasury of imaginative illustrations.