1918 An Anciente Mappe of Fairyland newly discovered and set forth
DESCRIPTION
By: Bernard Sleigh / Vincent Brooks Day & Son / Sidgwick & Jackson
Date: 1918 / 1925 (circa) London
Dimensions: 15.5 x 58 inches (39.5 x 148 cm)
This is the second edition of the foundational pictorial map titled “An Anciente Mappe of Fairyland newly discovered and set forth” designed by Bernard Sleigh in 1918 and published in London by Sidgwick & Jackson circa 1925. It is among the most celebrated pictorial fantasy maps of the early twentieth century, combining literary imagination with the artistry of medieval-inspired cartography.
The large and vividly illustrated fantasy panorama presents Fairyland as though it were a real, traversable country. Richly colored and intricately detailed, the map captures a mythical world inhabited by figures and places drawn from folklore, mythology, children’s tales, classical literature, and Shakespearean drama. Its decorative border is filled with floral patterns, medieval-style scrolls, and inscriptions, enhancing its resemblance to an illuminated manuscript. The landscape extends horizontally across the sheet, creating an immersive vision of a land both magical and familiar.
Examining the Content and Layout of the Map
The geography of Fairyland is arranged with rugged coastlines, mountain ranges, rivers, harbors, and valleys, each carefully labeled with names steeped in legend and story. The left side of the map depicts darker and stormier regions associated with danger and mystery, while the right side offers calmer seas, cultivated countryside, and bustling harbors.
Throughout the composition appear fantastical locations such as Valhalla, Atlantis, Camelot, the Bay of Nevers evoking Neverland, the Sea of Dreams, and the Land of Lilliput. Ships sail across enchanted waters, sea monsters lurk beneath the waves, and castles, villages, and fairy-tale forests fill the land. Notable features include a medieval-style compass rose in the upper left corner, a vast “Sea of Dreams” at the center, and to the east, the Harbour of Romance and the Enchanted Sea. Castles rise from mountains, bridges link impossible terrains, and mythical creatures such as giants, dragons, mermaids, and fairies inhabit every corner of the landscape.
Cultural and Artistic Context
Sleigh’s Fairyland Map was created in the aftermath of the First World War, when myth, fantasy, and nostalgic storytelling provided a cultural refuge from the devastation of modern conflict. The map is drawn upon the influence of medieval cartography, with its allegorical imagery and dense place-names, while also drawing on the decorative style of the Art Nouveau era. Altogether, it is regarded as one of the most elaborate and imaginative fantasy maps produced before the advent of modern fantasy literature.
Decades before Tolkien began illustrating Middle-earth, Sleigh envisioned a unified geography of myth and story that blended Arthurian romance, Northern European folklore, Greek legend, and English fairy tales into a single pictorial landscape. Its cultural significance lies in its encyclopedic representation of the Western imagination, making it both a work of art and a map of collective storytelling. Surviving examples of the map are quite rare, and its whimsical yet scholarly synthesis of myth and literature makes it a highly prized work among collectors of fantasy, cartography, and illustrated works.
Condition: Map is in fair condition linen backed with a few area restored, most notably the area between the Valley of Fire, Valley of Dragons, and the Stormy Area (Ocean). Also a part of the left margin near the "Scale of Thoughts" as well as a few marginal areas have been restored.
Inventory #12992
CONDITION
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