Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland. A New and Complete Edition, Edited by T. Wright. With a Memoir of the Author by his Son, T.F. Dillon Croker. London: William Tegg, 1862.Pp xxx, 366. Publisher’s smooth green buckram boards, title in gilt within ornate floral shamrock to spine, harp within oval shamrock stamped in gilt to upper cover. A nice bright copy.

Thomas Crofton Croker was a Corkman of the ascendancy class who roamed the southern countryside collecting tales and folklore.

He published his collection anonymously in 1825. The book sold almost 1,000 copies within a week – a bestseller in its day – and in the same year, the brothers Grimm translated it into German, taking some liberties along the way.