Edmund Dulac (1882–1953)

Though I am less drawn to Edmund Dulac's fairytale illustrations than I am to those of his contemporaries Arthur Rackham and Kay Nielsen, I still appreciate the artistic talent behind his work. Nielsen and Packham became well-known for their depictions of legends, myths, and stories from Western European culture, but Dulac made his mark by exploring the potential of stories from China, Japan, and the Middle East. Other artists of the era (Aubrey Beardsley, another of my favourites, for one) show more had capitalized on the population's growing fascination with Orientalism and the introduction of collections of stories like the Araban Nights provided Dulac with the needed canvas of inspiration. Considering that most of the "gift books" published with his illustrations were ostensibly meant for young readers (a lucretive new book market), Dulac's artwork often employs a darker range of tones than one would expect. This moody atmosphere does not always impart an overall sense of negativity, gloominess, or evil though, as Dulac uses carefully placed lighting sources and jewel-like colours to create a sense of mystery and richness. Obviously this book only collects a small portion of his artwork, but eventually I would like to see his pieces as they were meant to be seen - alongside the stories which they illustrate. show less

One of my main goals this year for my reading list is to finish all the books that I own that I’ve never read. Unfortunately, after 20-something years of collecting, multiple moves across the country (in which my books stayed at the Kamloops home-base), and spending more energy reading library books my unread collection has grown to well over 100 items of varying genre, format, and length and become unsurprisingly daunting. Which is why when I was attempting to pick one to read I gave up show more and told my boyfriend to pick one for me (as long as it wasn’t Tolkien or Edward Rutherfurd). This could have backfired, but he picked my collection of tales from the Arabian Nights, which actually ended up being a perfect book to read before bed over the Dead Days between Christmas and New Years. My collection was compiled by Andrew Lang, the classic fairytale collector, and while he may have rewritten the stories to soften them for a younger audience I found that this collection was one of his stronger that I’ve read. The tone was very whimsical (but still no nonsense and realistic) and the stories that Scheherazade tells to the Sultan to save her life (and that of all the women in her country) definitely have a magical intrigue that drew me into them. I definitely have to find a more comprehensive collection of the Arabian Nights stories though, since clearly 300 pages does not capture them all and Andrew Lang is not what we would call a top fairytale scholar in reproducing the tales in a more traditional and complete manner. But regardless we’re one book closer to reading my entire collection, and Tales from the Arabian Nights set the quest off on a very positive note! show less

Masterfully written!
The Sultan Schahriar had the most beautiful wife. But when he found her dishonoring him in the worst way he has no choice but to put her to death. To ensure that this blasphemy will never happen to him again every night he takes on a new bride and every morning the bride is ordered killed by the grand vizier. But one day the grand vizier's eldest daughter comes to him and tells him that she has a plan to get the sultan to stop murdering young women. But the catch is she show more has to marry him first. with much reluctance the grand vizier finally agrees to her plan knowing that if she fails he will have to murder her himself. With the help of her younger sister they weave a web of stories to enchant the sultan. Every night a new story takes place and every night they are spared their lives.
Stories within stories with in stories are interweave so cleverly and beautifully that they flow into the readers very soul. Vaguely reminiscent of Aesop's Fables, these stories are magnificent and hold their own life lessons within timeless moral confines.
I enjoyed this book immensely! The illustrations are amazingly gorgeous and add to the feel of the book and the stories themselves and in a way even make the stories come to life. I feel that everyone should read this book of stories at least once in their lives. It's well worth it! ❤️ show less

This is a beautifully illustrated book of classic fairy tells written by Charles Perrault with 35 black-and-white illustrations by Gustave Dore which include Little Red Riding Hood, Little Thumb, The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods, Cinderella, Puss in Boots, Riquet with the Tuft, The Fairy, and Blue Beard.

One of my reading goals in 2017 is to revisit some favorite books that I enjoyed as a young girl. I loved that the stories were told in the original form, not the Disney style. I forgot how show more scary the original Little Red Riding Hood story actually was.

For $1.50 I purchased a copy formatted for an Amazon Fire tablet. The illustrations are magnificent and I thought the Victorian look of the stories was just beautiful. When I delivered it to my Kindle Oasis, an ereader, the illustrations were just as crisp and clear. I loved this book, but some of the fairy tale versions may be too scary for young children. show less