This book is a collection of fairy tales: “The Bound Princess” (a longer work in six parts), “The Crown’s Warranty, ” “The Wishing Pot, ” “The Feeding of the Emigrants, ” and “The Passionate Puppets.”
The Field of Clover is a collaboration between Laurence and Clemence Annie Housman, brother and sister. Laurence wrote the text and drew the original illustrations, which were then engraved by Clemence.
Also, the subject matter of the book demonstrates the Victorian fascination with the supernatural and themes of transformation. Women recite spells to turn into flowers; a great worm drinks a boy’s breath through a magical ring. The language is rich and vivid, and the stories themselves often impart moral lessons.
The Field of Clover, along with several of Laurence Housman’s other works, was collected into a larger volume called Moonshine & Clover by the New York printers Harcourt, Brace, & Company, in 1922.
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Laurence Housman turned more and more to writing after his eyesight began to fail. His first literary success came with the novel An Englishwoman’s Love-letters (1900), published anonymously. He then turned to drama with Bethlehem (1902) and was to become best known and remembered as a playwright. His other dramatic works include Angels and Ministers (1921), Little Plays of St. Francis (1922) and Victoria Regina (1934) which was even staged on Broadway. Housman’s play, Pains and Penalties, about Queen Caroline, was produced by Edith Craig and the Pioneer Players.
In his time he wrote 10 novels and 25 pieces of short fiction, including fairy tales, 54 plays, 13 volumes of verse and at least 23 pieces of non-Fiction.
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KEYWORDS/TAGS: Field of Clover, Fairy tales, folklore, myths, legends, storyteller, childrens stories, fables, bound princess, fire-eaters, galloping plough, thirsty well, princess melilot, burning rose, camphor worm, crown’s warranty, wishing-pot, feeding, emigrants, passionate, puppets, Laurence Housman, Clemence Housman, illustrations, engravings, collaboration, moonshine,