"The Second Virago Book Of Fairy Tales", edited by Angela Carter, illustrations by Corinna Sargood (published by Virago Press Ltd, London 1992)

I bought this book in the early nineties and it's been an inspiration ever since. The stories are great but the illustrations are so rich and magical. Corinna Sargood's take on these subversive and - sometimes - disturbing tales is really superb. There's so much to discover in these pictures that they still seem new to me after all these years.

There isn't much information available on this brilliant artist (born in Britain, 1941). There is mention on the jacket sleeve that she was one of Angela Carter's oldest friends and that these illustrations were done while she lived in in Mexico but that's about it. These lino cuts have appeared in exhibitions this year in the UK - which, typically, I missed!