PLEASE Help Me Find This Illustrated Childhood Book

I have been searching for a particular book I had when I was a child. This has been an ongoing search that I have been conducting for years with absolutely no luck....and it bugs me to no end! I have to find it.

I hadn't even learned to read when I used to flip through this book. I cannot remember the specific stories. However, I remember the illustrations and I would Immediately recognize them if I saw them again.

ATS has some of the best internet searchers in the world, and I have been a member here for a while, so what better place to ask? Any and all replies are appreciated, I thank you so much for your help.

Here is a list of things I remember about this book. I will add to this list as my search continues.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----

Childrens fantasy and/or fairy-tale book. Not a novel. Each story was a couple of pages. Heavily illustrated.

Big Beautiful and somewhat distressing (for a child) illustrations. I imagine the illustrator is fairly well known as the illustrations were top notch, unique and evoked emotion. Gnomes and trolls and devils and such.

My best guess would be that it was published in the late 60's, the 70's or the very early 80's but could have been much earlier.

The book was large and had a hardcover. I'd say 13-14 inches tall and 9-10 inches wide.




These illustrations are by Arthur Rackham. I DON'T think he is the illustrator of the book in question. I'm using his illustrations as a guide as they are similar to the illustrations in the book I'm looking for.

Wow!
This sounds just like the book that I have been searching for as well, with no luck.

Possibly, a green cover?

Maybe poems as well?

The most disturbing I remember was a poem in it with the line "o the sad fate of the babes in the wood"
I think it was like Hansel and Gretel type poem, but they both died, lost in the woods!!!!!!

Is it any of these? tablet.flavorwire.com...#!/entry/the-20-most-beautiful-childrens-books-of-all-time,4ffb006b7af68a84dcf72e06/5

Or this? www.goodreads.com...

My wife works in children's publication so anymore information would be good.

Seems the first link isnt working, type '20 most beautiful children's books of all time' into the search.

Try this one, if you haven't yet. I'm going to dig through it tomorrow.
www.vintagechildrensbooks.com...

Could it be one of the "Fairytales of the Brothers Grimm" books?

The new Taschen edition of “The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm” (which I found courtesy of BrainPickings.com, whose list of the best illustrated children’s and picture books of 2011 has made my own holiday list considerably longer), collects 27 classic Grimm stories with some of the most fantastical, alluring illustrations I’ve ever seen.

parenting.blogs.nytimes.com...

This is the updated one, but it appears that they date back to the 1800's.

CX.

I think it must be Grimm's Fairy Tales illustrated by Arthur Rackham:

Amazon Link to book

I did a Google search using those same search terms and it looks likely Arthur Rackham is the illustrator:

Google search results

Originally posted by chiefsmom
Wow!
This sounds just like the book that I have been searching for as well, with no luck.

Possibly, a green cover?

Maybe poems as well?

The most disturbing I remember was a poem in it with the line "o the sad fate of the babes in the wood"
I think it was like Hansel and Gretel type poem, but they both died, lost in the woods!!!!!!

I was going to say brown, but it could have been a green cover. I remember the book being well worn. I also remember that the cover had a "wood carved" feel to it. Obviously it wasn't wood, but it had a 3D feeling to it.

Good luck on your search.

Originally posted by EBE01
Is it any of these? tablet.flavorwire.com...#!/entry/the-20-most-beautiful-childrens-books-of-all-time,4ffb006b7af68a84dcf72e06/5

Or this? www.goodreads.com...

My wife works in children's publication so anymore information would be good.

Seems the first link isnt working, type '20 most beautiful children's books of all time' into the search.

edit on 17-9-2012 by EBE01 because: (no reason given)

Hi thanks for the reply.

I don't think it was a Grimm book or a Golden book. I have searched quite extensively and I read through that link before. I can't find it in all my internet searches so far.

I'm starting to think it may have been a european book. Germanic maybe.

Originally posted by OuttaHere
I think it must be Grimm's Fairy Tales illustrated by Arthur Rackham:

Amazon Link to book

I did a Google search using those same search terms and it looks likely Arthur Rackham is the illustrator:

Google search results

Not Arthur Rackham but thanks for your help.

reply to post by METACOMET


I remember this book or one like it and have been searching for it as well!

It was a book of Grimm's fairy-tales, and it had a very "German" flavor to it.

I had the book in 1975 and remember it as having incredibly detailed and richly textured oil-painting illustrations, each one very "gothic;" even the brighter colors had this sinister edge to them.

It definitely warped me as a child. But I loved that book. Don't know where it went.

Sorry I don't recall the name.

reply to post by Snsoc


The way you describe it makes me think we are speaking about the same book.

I believe I have already looked through all the Grimm books, but if you think it was a Grimm, I'll look again.

I'll let you know if I find any leads.

reply to post by METACOMET


I should point out that this was 37 years ago. I can't say for 100% certain that it was Grimm's, but what other compilations are there? Wouldn't want to lead you on a wild Mother Goose chase...

Hmmm, I am not sure about this one, it was like ages ago.

a reply to: Snsoc

Did you ever find this book? I think we are talking about the same book of fairy tales: late 70s/early 80s, large/tall book, very bright almost Vintage German style full page illustrations that were extremely detailed.

Been searching high and low. I do remember that the stories were one full page, opposite a full page illustration. I think the cover was of the inside of a wizard's hut or something with a bright fire and wizard- or gnome-type figure with a pointy hat. And I think the last story, the one in the back, was the 3 little pigs. I also remember that the Rapunzel illustration featured the witch climbing up Rapunzel's hair.

If anyone knows the translator and/or illustrator, you would make three approaching mid-age older millennial siblings very happy. Please email at troyathlete at gmail dot com if you have any leads. Thanks!

a reply to: BrandoPolo

Still no luck on my end. I did a couple hour search a few months ago and though I didn't find it, I came to the conclusion that the book was probably much older than I first thought. Early 1900's possibly. I saw a lot of similarities in the books of that era. Unfortunately my computer died and I don't have any of the bookmarks to provide examples, but I'm sure I'll get the search bug again sometime soon and I will post up what I find.

It's funny, I mentioned the book to my mother recently and she remembered it. She told me that after seeing me looking thru the book for hours on a road trip, she and her sister looked through it and agreed that the illustrations were creepy and sinister. Not really appropriate for a child. All these years later and it even stuck in her memory.

We'll find it someday. It's out there.

a reply to: METACOMET

John Bauer's style was similar to Rackham's with the overcast tones and similar colours. Do any of these ring a bell? They're from a Swedish book called Among Gnomes and Trolls. I can't tell if it was published in English in the 20th century though I suspect it was. The illustrations seem very familiar.

Kate Nielsen? She's illustrated a few fairy tale books.

Otherwise, I wonder if your book was a Hans Christian Anderson collection? His stories lent themselves to illustration and were also out of copyright. Any publisher could have the stories illustrated.

I know what it's like to look for something and not find it. It begins to feel like a false memory or craziness. I looked for a movie for more than ten years and started to doubt my own memory of it. Even the actor I knew was in it wasn't listing it in his filmography. Amazingly, last year Neo96 found it in moments.

ETA - I've been a subscriber to Kristin's Tales of Faerie for years purely because she posts lots of art and some macabre fairy tales. Some are quite horrific, but so was life when they were written. You could skim through the pages in case something stands out or look at the word box for clues.

I have two quite huge books published by Time-Life (Amsterdam) on "Dwarves", and the other is on "Night Creatures".

Both seem to have very similar art (as the OP), as well as more colorful illustrations.

They are from a series called "The Enchanted World".

I only collected two, but I know there are more.

Originally published in 1985.
I don't think ever reprinted as lavishly, if at all.

They are well over a foot in length, emblazoned with gold writing on the cover under the illustration, and tell marvellous tales. The hardcover (on cloth) is part of the book - no dust jacket.

In better economic times, I believe people got them by post, unless they unsubscribed.
They truly are magical.

They look a bit small here, but ring a bell?
www.terapeak.com...

Here is one example of the Enchanted World series.

They had different colored covers according to theme.



Not very "fat", but quite "long" books (about 7 matches), but brilliantly written.

When the electricity cuts out, I get my torch and one of these books.

They're like the unabridged boss of fairytale books!

I got mine second-hand, and somebody put their personal stamp in the front - a testimony to their worth.
But they're in good hands.

Oh, well voila.

The cover of an "The Enchanted World" volume I happen to own ("Dwarfs") was indeed done by Arthur Rackham.

en.wikipedia.org...

a reply to: Kandinsky

Off topic - but Bauer is one of my favorite illustrators of all time. Just beautiful, mesmerizing work

a reply to: METACOMET

Now I'm on it - even though I have no clue what I'm looking for :-)