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| Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Book: 10 3/4 Anniversary Edition | 
| Author: Brian Froud
Creator: Terry Jones
Publisher: "Harry N. Abrams, Inc."
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $9.98
You Save: $14.97 (60%)
New (11) Collectible (1) from $9.98
Avg. Customer Rating:  16 reviews
Sales Rank: 103044
Media: Hardcover
Edition: Har/DVD
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 72
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.7
Dimensions (in): 12 x 9.2 x 1
ISBN: 0810959429
Dewey Decimal Number: 741.64092
EAN: 9780810959422
ASIN: 0810959429
Publication Date: October 1, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: New - Has remainder mark. Fast shipping from trusted wholesaler with many exclusive publisher contracts.
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Product Description
In 1995 Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Book was released to an unsuspecting public. Called "an unstoppable phenomenon" by its publisher, it became an immediate international best-seller. Now 2005 can be named the Year of Lady Cottington with the 10th anniversary of the publication that first exposed the world to the science of fairy exploration.
This volume records in authentic facsimile the latest incarnation of this notorious book along with eight additional pages and enhanced artwork throughout, virtually overflowing with freshly flattened fairies. Former Monty Python member Terry Jones and artist Brian Froud provide a new introduction to place the book in its proper perspective, offering insight into the book's often maligned historic relevance. As a bonus, included is an incriminating DVD showing rare film footage of the elderly Lady Cottington in her garden demonstrating her fairy-squashing technique, as well as a photo gallery, desktop wallpaper, and screensavers.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 11 more reviews...
 Typical Froud: Silly, irreverant, lots of fun! August 25, 2008
NOTICE! This is not a childrens fairy book! If you are easily offended, then just don't buy it. If you think members of the clergy are infallible, then just don't buy it! If you want a silly romp into the brains of Brian Froud and Terry Jones, then, by all means, buy it! The interview on the DVD is hysterical, but you have to appreciate 'python; humor. Some reviewers have taken this WAYYY too seriously, and it could spoil the book and the others in this "family", and I would hate to see that happen. If you have seen "Goblins", you will see the same zany irreverance as you do here, and I, for one, find it charming.
It's presented as a little girls' diary, complete with horrible handwriting and spelling, chronicles her way thru young adulthood, and thru to her old age. Her lifelong battle with the fairies becomes her lifes' work, as she squishes her opponents/companions in her book, just as they want. The glee with which they give themselves to be 'pressed', (tho they are not ever hurt, it's a game to them!) is lost on her, she even feels an occasional pang of regret that she has smooshed so many.
Her pangs are short-lived, tho, and she continues her wanton smushing, never knowing that the fairies were always her best companions, wanting her to enjoy life, and dance with them, the way her mother had. She was half-fairy, and since she never opened the letter her mother left for her, she apparently never knew.
I will enjoy this book, and its' companion books, for years, but have the good sense not to give them to my little boy. Tinkerbell is more his speed. These fairies are more my husbands' type. :)
 Enchanting Faeries! July 2, 2008
I recently bought quite a few books (mostly on sale) from Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com. Opening the boxes as they arrived was much like Christmas to me - I love books! Immediately I read the Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Books. I hadn't planned on this being the first books I read from the order. However, flipping through the pages and seeing the beautiful, whimsical artwork of the faeries - I was enchanted!
Lady Cottington is a young girl who writes in her journal about catching, or pressing faeries. As she grows older, her handwriting improves and her stories become even more hilarious about these amusing faeries she presses.
I thought this was going to be a more kid friendly book than it is. Luckily, I did not purchase these books for anyone but myself, and no kids are looking at them. There are nude faeries in the book, and some journal entries are of a sexual content. This should have perhaps been stated somewhere in the book description area.
The Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Book: 10 Anniversary Edition and the Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Letters are the perfect addition to anyone's library that loves fairies!
 Not for Kids February 5, 2008
7 out of 11 found this review helpful
I bought this book for my daughters, age 8 and 3. I ordered it online without ever having seen a real copy, but instead looking at the first few pages displayed on the Amazon site; specifically the page with the little 5 year-old girl's handwriting - misspellings and all - about capturing her first fairy. I thought it would be a cute children's book that my daughters would enjoy.
Instead, it turned out to be a very adult book dealing with the theme of sexual repression in turn-of-the-century England. For adults, I thought this was a very good book -- for children, totally inappropriate. I would have appreciated this being addressed in the description of the book since I believe it's presented in a kid's book manner.
*spoilers* As a little girl, Angelica Cottington captures fairies in her book, and blames the little mischief-makers for doing things like stealing her stockings and changing the answers on her homework so that by the morning, her sums, which were correct the day before, are all wrong as to get her in trouble with her Governess.
As Cottington grows up, however, the fairies get the blame for her budding (and guilt-ridden) sexuality. At one point, she goes on holiday to Italy where a potential suitor shows up in her hotel room (after her "chaperone" has taken a sleeping drug and passed out in her own room) and what ensues can possibly be construed as a rape -- Cottington intends to say "no" to the man, but one of the fairies flies into her mouth and twists her tongue into saying yes.
Soon afterwards, she flees back to England where the fairies are more proper (touching on the stereotype that Italians are passionate and English are reserved.) When she gets home, however, the English fairies trick her into taking a hallucinogenic drug ("...the sweet nectar slipped around and over my tongue like a liquid glove of exquisite pleasure or pain -- I could not be sure which ..."), and causes her to take off all her clothes and dance around naked in a field. When she wakes up, a clergyman she has known all her life is hovering over her. She confesses to him that the fairies are making her do horrible things, and he admits to her "'Oh Lady Angelica! Yes! They torment me, too! Those little fairies!" .... His eyes had an unnerving intensity about them and he seemed to have dribbled on his purple front. At the same time, he slipped his arms around my waist. ... Your breasts are whiter than a five pound note ..." -- adding the theme of clergy taking sexual advantage of people they are supposed to be helping in their time of need.
This book would possibly make a good study for a college class on the subject of sexuality and history, particularly Western cultural sexual repression in women. But I REALLY think this book description should come with a warning about the content. It is very easy to misjudge it's intended audience based on what is available to look at on the Amazon website.
Fantastic as always October 31, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is a review and comment on other comments. :)
The Lady Cottington Faery books are a lot of fun. For those of you who believe in faeries, like I do, I certainly hope your image of faeries are not perfect, beautiful, tiny women with wings. The images in this book are gogeous, unique, and all of Brian Froud's work fits what I believe a faery looks like. For those of you who are upset that this book is a fake when it claims to be real, perhaps you didn't notice the Cottington books are in the humor section... not non-fiction... not children's. There is a warning that says children should not look a "these pages" and are clipped together so kids won't accidentally see them.
I met Brian Froud recently at a Faerie Convention. He doesn't seem like the type who would agree with squichsing faeries into a book. In fact, he honors and reveres him, as did everyone there.
 Disgusting and Mildly Pornographic September 5, 2007
2 out of 21 found this review helpful
I bought this book for my 10yo daughter who loves everything fairy. It is absolutely NOT for children, with text references to a sex-starved bishop ("shoved his tongue in my mouth") and incredibly ugly drawings of fairies. I ended up throwing it away, I was so disgusted with it. Fairy stuff should be beautiful, not hideous.
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