by Charles Dickens ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1, 2016
A unique, ageless Yuletide treasure for fans and collectors alike.
A perennial holiday favorite is immortalized with a singular trade edition of the original manuscript.
In association with the Morgan Library & Museum in Manhattan, which places the original manuscript of Charles Dickens’ timeless Christmas classic on public display each holiday season, this collectible reprint “represents the most faithful transcription to date.” The edition includes a foreword by acclaimed author Colm Tóibín, who adds factual commentary about Dickens’ writing inspiration and how the author designated the past, the present, and the future as the “unearthly protagonists” in his redemptive and morally purposeful story of Scrooge. Tóibín believes the tale itself, a “dark journey of the soul,” derives much of its power from its grim portrait of London. The book is introduced by the Morgan Library’s chief literary curator Declan Kiely, who explores Dickens’ determination in writing the story—while he suffered through a miserable cold—and the many pivotal personal (financial anxiety), professional (prior book sales), and political issues (his advocacy for social reform) affecting his life of “ecstatic restlessness” leading up to the drafting of the story in the fall of 1843. Kiely artfully describes the tale’s five theatrical “staves” and scrutinizes the author’s creative process and heavily edited composition. He also notes several minute details in Dickens’ writing style, the original manuscript’s trail of sale, and the intricate disbinding and preparatory processes taken to produce this special volume. Dickens’ original manuscript in his cursive penmanship—with some of the author’s spelling “peculiarities” corrected)—is featured opposite its verbatim translation. The storybook, impressively produced and crisply analyzed by both Tóibín and Kiely, harbors the potential to joyfully transform a burdensome year of “misery to merriness.”
A unique, ageless Yuletide treasure for fans and collectors alike.Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-393-60864-9
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Norton
Review Posted Online: Aug. 20, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2016
Share your opinion of this book
More by Charles Dickens
BOOK REVIEW
by Charles Dickens ; adapted by Brooke Jorden ; illustrated by David Miles
BOOK REVIEW
by Charles Dickens & illustrated by Brett Wright
BOOK REVIEW
by Charles Dickens ; adapted by Adam McKeown ; illustrated by Gerald Kelley
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
Share your opinion of this book
More by E.T.A. Hoffmann
BOOK REVIEW
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson
BOOK REVIEW
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis
by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
Share your opinion of this book
More by Ludwig Bemelmans
BOOK REVIEW
developed by Ludwig Bemelmans ; illustrated by Steven Salerno
BOOK REVIEW
by Ludwig Bemelmans ; illustrated by Steven Salerno
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.