hans andersen's fairy tales

i had to stop myself from photographing each illustration in this lovely book. i always notice hans christian andersen books because, well, i love him. i can't believe this is my first post dedicated to one of his books! i've seen so many editions of his iconic fairy tales...so many have gorgeous illustrations, and yet, i think this may be my favorite so far. this book is illustrated by jiří trnka, "the walt disney of the east" who is best known for his stop-motion puppet movies. his movies are truly magical and i highly recommend them all.

it includes some of his best (in my opinion) fairy tales, such as : "the snow queen," "thumbykin," a.k.a. "thumbelina" "mother elder," "the wild swans" and many more. i will definitely be treasuring this book. i may even break it out and share it with guests...carry it around like my bible (ala mark david chapman minus the sinister) and sing it lullabies at bedtime.

hans andersen's fairy tales
designed and produced for artia by paul hamlyn
1967, paul hamlyn, london
illustrated by jiří trnka

leafy rivers

leafy rivers: a novel by jessamyn west

first edition, 1967, harcourt, brace & world, new york

jacket design by james and ruth mccrea

another book chosen for its cover. i love the graphics of this cover. true genius. apparently the book is of the adventure/suspense category. which i would not have surmised by the cover alone. the cover makes me think heart of darkness or the island of dr. moreau (on second thought i suppose these are adventure/suspense.) i'm also reminded of gauguin, although more for the tahitian vibe rather than a likeness of style. i'm definitely keeping this one around for inspiration. james and ruth mccrea have illustrated tons. see more here, here, and here.