"There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. "
— Oscar Wilde

Hans Christian Andersen (2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was an internationally acclaimed Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, Andersen is best remembered for his fairy tales. With this in mind, it is important to note that Andersen's popularity is not limited to children; his stories (called eventyr in Danish) express themes that transcend age and nationality, and remain prominent worldwide.
Andersen's fairy tales have been translated into more than 125 languages, and have become culturally embedded in the West's collective consciousness. Although readily accessible to children, Andersen's tales present lessons of virtue and resilience in the face of adversity for mature readers as well. Some of his most famous fairy tales include "The Emperor's New Clothes", "The Little Mermaid", "The Nightingale", "The Snow Queen", "The Ugly Duckling", "Thumbelina", and many more.
See below our stock of Hans Christian Andersen First Editions, fine bindings, sets, and signed copies.
London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1911. [Illustrated children's classic]. FIRST DULAC ILLUSTRATED EDITION. Quarto (29 x 23cm), pp.viii; 250; [2]. Publisher's green cloth blocked in gilt to spine and upper board, illustrated endpapers. With twenty eight tipped in colour plates. Some light spotting to endpapers, preliminaries, and edges, a couple of..... More
London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1911. [Illustrated children's classic] FIRST DULAC ILLUSTRATED EDITION. Quarto (29 x 23cm), pp.viii; 250; [2]. With twenty eight tipped in colour plates. Smartly bound in green half calf over original gilt-stamped green cloth sides, gilt-lettered twin red title labels, spine in six compartments with raised bands..... More
London: Strand Publications, no date [circa 1938]. [Pop-Up Fairy Tales] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (22 x 18cm), pp.[62]. With four colour-illustrated pop-up scenes, a colour frontispiece and vignette title page, and several line-drawn illustrations, all by Wickham, and design and arrangement by Giraud. Publisher's colour illustrated paper-covered boards, with endpapers illustrated..... More
London: Richard Bentley, 1852. [Scandinavian Travel] SECOND EDITION. Octavo (21 x 14cm), pp.iv; 324. Publisher's green blind stamped cloth, gilt titles to spine, yellow coated endpapers. All edges untrimmed. Neatly rebacked with the original cloth laid on. Textblock lightly toned throughout, some marking and a small area of loss to..... More
London, George G. Harrap and Co. Ltd., 1932. [Fairy tales] FIRST RACKHAM EDITION, SIGNED LIMITED deluxe issue. Large octavo (26 x 19cm), pp.288. With twelve full-page coloured plates with tissue guards and many full page and in-text black and white illustrations. Publisher's gilt-stamped parchment over boards, top edge gilt, others..... More
London: George G. Harrap and Co., 1932. [Children's Illustrated] FIRST RACKHAM ILLUSTRATED EDITION. Large octavo (26 x 20cm), pp.288. With 12 very fine colour plates, including a frontispiece, each with a captioned tissue guard, as well as numerous in-text illustrations. Publisher's red cloth with gilt titles to spine and upper..... More
London, George G. Harrap and Co. Ltd., 1932. [Fairy tales] FIRST RACKHAM EDITION. Large octavo (25 x 19cm), pp.288. With twelve full-page coloured plates with tissue guards and many full page and in-text black and white illustrations. Publisher's russet cloth blocked in gilt, illustrated dust-wrapper in original card gift box..... More
Nottingham: Hodder and Stoughton for Boots Pure Drug Co., no date [circa 1930s]. [Illustrated Fairy Tales] FINE COLOUR PLATES, a later edition. Small quarto (26 x 16cm), pp.319 [1]. With 16 chromolithographic plates by Heath Robinson, including a frontispiece. Publisher's brown cloth with gilt titles and decoration to spine and..... More