Olivia and the Fairy Princesses.

FALCONER, Ian.

Item Number: 141044

New York: Antheneum Books, 2012.

First edition of the tenth installment in Falconer’s whimsical Olivia series. Quarto, original illustrated boards, patterned endpapers, illustrated by the author. Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket design by Ann Bobco.

The Olivia book series was inspired by Ian Falconer's niece, Olivia. "I was just entranced by her," he stated. "I wanted to make a little present for her, so I started working on the Olivia book." The series is different from many children's picture books because of its stark minimalism. Inspired by the style of Dr. Seuss, Falconer chose to draw uncluttered images in black and white with the occasional splash of red, along with the insertion of real artwork by famous artists — Degas and Pollock, for example. Each book in the series explores the use of another signature color in addition to the original black, white and red images.