KAY NIELSEN EAST OF THE SUN AND WEST OF THE MOON

Step into a world of star-crossed lovers, magical winds, mischievous giants, and trolls, through some of the most exquisite illustrations in publishing history. In this gorgeous abridged edition, Taschen revives the most ambitious publication project of beloved Danish artist Kay Nielsen, one of the most famous children's book illustrators of all time. The 10 tales included are: East of the Sun and West of the Moon, The Blue Belt, Prince Lindworm, The Lassie and Her Godmother, The Husband Who Was to Mind the House, The Three Princesses of Witheland, The Giant With No Heart in His Body, The Widow?s Son, he Three Billy Goats Gruff and The Three Princesses in the Blue Mountain. First published in 1914, 'East of the Sun and West of the Moon' is a celebrated collection of fairy tales gathered by legendary Norwegian folklorists Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Engebretsen Moe on their journeys across Norway in the mid-19th century. Nielsen's illustration edition of Asbjørnsen and Moe's tales is considered a jewel of early 20th century children's literature, highly sought-after by art and book collectors worldwide. An original signed copy of the book sold at auction in 2008 commanded the highest price ever paid for an illustrated children's book. This finely crafted volume presents ten of the original fairytales, and restores the artistry of Nielsen's images to their original splendour. Featuring 41 enchanting illustrations, including many enlarged details from Nielsen's rare original watercolours, lovely fonts used, the decorative mono panelling on the text pages and book illustration from the era, this is so much more than a book of folk tales. The book has small details picked out and used as chapter headers and comes with three accompanying essays, illustrated with dozens of rare and previously unseen artworks by Nielsen, that explore the history of Norwegian folktales, Nielsen's life and work, and how this masterpiece came to be. New from Taschen. With ribbon bookmark, 23.5 x 30.5 cm, 168 pages.