Gil Posted March 1, 2020 Share Posted March 1, 2020 I'm looking for unabridged editions of classic books, with "lovely" illustrations--obviously "lovely" is in the eye of the beholder, but I figured I'd save a ton of time if I simply asked here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomN Posted March 1, 2020 Share Posted March 1, 2020 Read Aloud Dad - http://www.readalouddad.com/search/label/Illustrated books - this is the site I use to find unabridged, richly illustrated classics. For example, I found Peter Pan, The Wind in the Willows, Pinocchio, The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, Dr. Doolittle, The Secret Garden and many more. You do have to search a bit to find these particular books on the site, but every recommendation has been absolutely stunning. I usually google "Read Aloud Dad and then a title" to see if he has a post on that specific book instead of trying to find it on his site. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2bee Posted March 2, 2020 Share Posted March 2, 2020 I have a a few illustrated hard back version of "classic" books that I like A Little Princess and The Secret Garden both illustrated by Graham Hurst has beautiful illustrations. The Arabian Nights illustrated by Sheila Moxley, retold by Neil Philip is really nice also. The Hobbit illustrated by Alan Lee is a pretty nice D'aulaires Book of Norse Myths (I'm on the look out for the other D'aulaires book of Greek Myths in hardback) I still need an amazingly illustrated anthology of fairy tale, poems, etc. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madteaparty Posted March 2, 2020 Share Posted March 2, 2020 There’s this one. I bought so many for gifts and such the publisher sent me a print from an unbound book for my kids ❤️ Or just the one kid at the time? Can’t remember. https://www.amazon.com/Snow-Queen-Hans-Christian-Andersen/dp/966704758X 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted March 2, 2020 Share Posted March 2, 2020 (edited) Past threads with some great ideas: - "Beautifully illustrated children's classics" - "Looking for illustrated books" (of unabridged classics) Color illustrations that are a little different: - Beowulf: An Illustrated Edition oh.my.goodness -- I love this one! the complete Seamus Heaney translation with gorgeous photography and illustrations of items of the story's setting - 75th Anniversary edition The Hobbit (Tolkien) has over a dozen of Tolkien's original color and B&W illustrations for the story - Tenggren's Golden Tales of the Arabian Nights yummy, delicate; with intricate patternings along the lines of Arabian design - Canterbury Tales, DeLuxe Golden Book illustrations by Tenggren, but in a style very different from his Arabian Nights; yes these are retellings, BUT... the original language Canterbury Tales is stout going, and this version has maintained a much closer feel to the original language - The Golden Treasury of Myths and Legends 12 Greek myths plus retellings of Oedipus, Beowulf, and 4 other medieval epics (illustrated by Alice & Martin Provensen -- they have an extreme art style that's not for everyone, but I like to have variety; I also have the Provensens' Tales from the Ballet, which retells the story to a number of classic ballets) Will wonderful black & white illustrations work? If so, check out: - Annotated Alice (Gardener) unabridged Alice's Adventures + Through the Looking Glass with great annotations AND Tenniel's fabulous original B&W illustrations - OOP fairy tale collections by Ruth Manning Sanders (Book of Dwarves, Book of Dragons, Book of Wizards, etc.) with wonderful B&W etching/illustrations by Robin Jacques And, light-hearted black & white illustrations: - Companion Library <-- link to a set of 15 volumes of the original 18 volume set; can also find them sold individually Edited November 11, 2020 by Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quarter Note Posted March 4, 2020 Share Posted March 4, 2020 First of all, are there any books in particular that you are looking for? Here are some ideas: N. C. Wyeth was a wonderful illustrator of classic and adventure children's stories. He was part of the Brandywine school of illustration, which had as its philosophy that an illustration needs to take the viewer directly into the scene. Because so many of his illustrations are of battles and other adventurous moments, his work may not fit your definition of “lovely”, but his illustrations are stunning. His use of color is very rich, and his illustrations really do have a snapshot-of-the-moment quality. I bought copies of The Boy's King Arthur (by Sidney Lanier) and The Scottish Chiefs (by Jane Porter) just for the Wyeth illustrations! Sometime in the future I also want to get a copy of The Black Arrow and Treasure Island (both by Robert Louis Stevenson) with Wyeth illustrations. These may be all out of print by now, but you may want to look for the Junior Illustrated Library books, published by Grosset & Dunlap. I had a couple of these while I was growing up, and they remain treasured books of mine. I make everyone in my family wash their hands before reading my Junior Illustrated Library edition of Little Women, it is so beautiful. In general, I happily buy very old editions of children's books published by Grosset & Dunlap, because they hold up really well over time, and the illustrations are always lovely. Usborne Books used to have a line called Illustrated Originals. I only have their edition of The Wind in the Willows, but it is a favorite in our home. The illustrations are beautiful, and the binding of the book is very nice. It should last a long time. If you know an Usborne consultant, that person could probably show you which ones they still have in print. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Porridge Posted March 4, 2020 Share Posted March 4, 2020 (edited) Sea Wolf Press publishes lovely editions of classics, often with archival typesetting and original illustrations. We’ve been so pleased with every Sea Wolf book that we own! Edited to add: You can find them on amazon, reasonably priced Edited March 4, 2020 by JHLWTM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 (edited) Seconding the Scribner's Illustrated Classics with the N.C. Wyeth prints! Nice, long hardbacks with sewn bindings. Treasure Island, The Black Arrow, Last of the Mohicans, The Scottish Chiefs (about Wallace and Bruce), Robinson Crusoe, Robin Hood, King Arthur, The Yearling and others. You can also search by illustrator once you find a few you really like. Edited March 5, 2020 by ScoutTN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenecho Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 (edited) The Ordinary Princess has the loveliest illustrations! Even the new one with the new cover (which I dislike because it's nothing like the original illustrations) has the original beautiful illustrations inside. Do a google image search on it. Edited March 5, 2020 by goldenecho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.