This is a book created to be given. At its center is a poem by Charles Snell which was written for, and published in, 1914 as a small gift book. In it the giver, in a series of concrete images, extends the recipient many good wishes.
This Is My Wish for You is in the tradition of ancient blessings, in which one tries, through the power of language, to throw a mantle of protection and beneficence over the receiver.
In our volume, the text is presented within borders made by Daniel Maclise for a book entitled
Moore's Irish Melodies, published in 1846. We have selected images to accompany each wish. These are made by a great variety of painters and illustrators, and range over more than 150 years.
We assert, without exaggeration, that this is the nearly perfect gift book.
