This work describes the main developments in the history of British fairy tales and aims to explain how a powerful revival occurred in the 19th century across all realms—artistic, scientific, economic, political—with the support of the royal couple, while Queen Victoria was called "the Fairy Queen".

Why did writers, ministers, and industrialists enthusiastically pursue the fairy-tale adventure? Why was the term "fairy-tale" used at that time for the railway, ballet, and the Palace of the Catholic Exhibition? How can one explain the passion, even obsession, that Victorians had with fairies?

This book examines the role of the fairy image, positioned between the readable, the visible, and the invisible, exploring the connections between fairy tales and spiritualism, without neglecting the corporeal and even romantic dimension of the fairy.