Although Rackham wrote no children's books, he created them: through his illustrations the great classics of children's literature gained lives and identities beyond those which their authors and other illustrators could give. Through Rackham's pictures readers enter a world of goblins and elves, of delicate androgynous children with wings, of twisted grotesque trees with faces--in short, the world of faerie, where everyday surroundings are touched by magic.

Long after his death Rackham's works continue to fascinate, not least for the remarkable craftsmanship that made his books treasures in his day and collector's items today. But the chief fascination seems to lie in how this proper, Edwardian gentleman, so businesslike and meticulous in his life, could have dwelt daily with witches and fairies and could have created them so believably for generations of children and adults alike. Part of the answer is that he was reflecting his times. In...