Cicely Mary Barker's Flower Fairies books, published in the first half of the twentieth century, are known and loved around the world. In this book Jane Laing examines Cicely Mary's life and character, drawing on her worklists and letters and the recollections of relatives and friends. She evaluates the artist's style and technique, using reproductions of sketches, watercolour drawings, pastels, book illustrations and devotional paintings, many of which have never been published before.