Vita Sackville-West: A Note of Explanation - Tapa dura

This charming story by a major figure in twentieth-century literature will appeal to adults and children alike.

Preserved unpublished on a bookshelf in the library of the dolls’ house created for Queen Mary in 1924, this enchanting story is a previously unknown work by the celebrated poet and novelist Vita Sackville-West. The delightful tale tells of a spirit who inhabits the dolls’ house, unseen by conservators, paying guests to the Castle and even Queen Mary herself. Having seemingly been present for the major moments of fairy tale history such as Cinderella’s ball, Sleeping Beauty’s waking kiss, and the creation of Aladdin’s palace, she has made herself at home in this early twentieth-century house, baffling even its maker. This sumptuous book is beautifully bound in real cloth and uniquely illustrated by Kate Baylay.

Vita Sackville-West was an English poet, novelist, and garden designer. Her own writings are celebrated, but she is perhaps most famous for serving as inspiration for the titular character in Virgina Woolf s Orlando (1928).

Kate Baylay is an illustrator based in London.

Matthew Dennison is the author of 'Behind the Mask' (2014), the
acclaimed biography of Vita
Sackville-West.