Griffin & Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence, 25th Anniversary Limited Edition

A fabulist story, building slowly with each new postcard or letter, the ending pleasingly ambivalent. It's satisfying that the pace is slowed with the pauses needed to pull the occasional letter from an envelope, the attention paid to handwriting as well as imagery (stamps, pictures, cancellation marks). Still leaves an impression to interact with the book beyond the standard turning of leaves, and gently ironic given the narrative is rooted in a voyeuristic experience.

The twist is satisfying in that I didn't expect it, exactly, and yet it is fitting. (Julian Jaynes came to mind.) I wonder if the following two books in the initial trilogy, and/or the books of the second, spoil the effect by making too clear a statement about what is show more going on. show less

Griffin and Sabine is about the correspondence of two people who share a magical connection through art. Sabine can see what Griffin draws and paints as he creates and eventually finds a way to contact him and share her power.

Despite the low page count, there is quite a story within these beautifully designed pages. Each page is either a postcard, or has an actual envelope attached to the page that you can open and pull out the letter inside. Details like this always excite me and I wish more books had special elements like this. As this is the anniversary edition, it comes with a postcard and some stickers as well.

I know I've read this before, but too many years ago to remember, so the story was fresh for me. I loved every page and my show more only complaint is that it's too short and leaves off on a huge cliffhanger. I, of course, will need to buy the rest of the books. show less

This is one of the most unique books I have ever read. The book is epistolary in nature, and the letters in the book must be removed from their envelopes and read. The correspondence begins when Sabine, living in the South Pacific, sends a postcard to Griffin. He is surprised, as he doesn't know a Sabine. When he asks her, she tells him that she sees him painting, although she is thousands of miles away. They continue to correspond, growing closer, until one day - nothing. Quite a mystery! I can't wait to read the other 2 books in the trilogy. The art work is quite unique and the physical act of removing the letters to read them adds to the experience.

When I was growing up, you could send away to places and they would send you the name of a pen-pal in another country and you could write them a letter and get one in return, with a beautiful foreign stamp on it. The books in the Griffin & Sabine series remind me of those days.

Except I understood my letters and their letters and never quite penetrated the magicality of this artful correspondence. But the act of opening an envelope and unfolding a letter written in "fountain pen ink" is so compelling.

The new 25th anniversary edition is a beautiful as the original, page for page. I saw a slight variation in color reproduction, and as others have noted, the stickers & promotional postcard in the envelope on the last page may not provide show more reason enough to re-purchase. Oh, and on the back flap of the new d/j, you can see 6 book covers in the series; the original had none... and just the briefest of bio's.

For a special someone... of an impressionable age, this is a wonderful art book. show less

A delightful and ethereal love story told in postcards and letters, with intriguing artwork on every page. Lovely thick paper, beautiful colors, and the envelope at the end with the little surprise in it was just icing on the cake. I know I read this years ago but forgot just how charming it is. I got it in the mail, opened it, and read it standing up at the kitchen counter. Before I even made my coffee. And it made my day. Can't wait to share it with my sister.

If I didn’t receive this as an ARC in a review program I’d feel a bit cheated by this edition. The publisher’s copy about the book says it contains additional artwork not in the original. True as far as it goes, but if you already own a copy of this lovely piece of art and storytelling, save your dollars. If you’re new to the series by all means get this version.There is another envelope at the very back of the book and it contains a postcard and some stickers in the shape of stamps that feature art from the book. It’s cute and I own a couple of postcard collections from Bantock already, but it doesn’t add anything to the story. Chronicle Books has kept the same high quality of paper and inks as in the original, so no show more worries there, I just wish there was a bit more content in the book since they were going to all the trouble of issuing an anniversary edition.

The story itself is a highly-romantic tale of two halves of what seems to be one soul. Both artists, separated by more than a mere ocean, they must overcome their backgrounds and their own senses to be together. It’s pretty fraught and laced with a supernatural element that is reflected in the artwork, which by itself is ethereal and just a bit weird. If this is the only book you have you’ll probably get the rest of them; they all end as cliffhangers. They’re short, but you can lose a lot of time opening those cunning envelopes and studying those stamps. I re-read the initial series of three and the follow up series of three in a few short hours on a snowy day. Lovely escapism and I’m looking forward to the new book which is coming later this spring. show less

I'm the baby of a big family, and my closest-in-age sibling is still four and a half years older than me. I worshiped her, and liked everything she liked, but the age gap meant she didn't particularly want to share her favorites with me.

She did, however, share Griffin and Sabine with me, when I was 13 or 14, and I fell in love with the books, the art, and the world Nick Bantock created. They will always have a special place in my heart.

Reading them as a proper adult, perhaps a rather cynical one, I found the nearly instant love between Griffin and Sabine a bit much. Going from strangers to explaining Sabine's strange gift of seeing what Griffin draws, to “you've made life worthwhile” in a few letters and postcards was too rapid for show more me. The art remains absolutely enjoyable though, and there's an extreme tactile glee I still feel pulling the letters from their envelopes.

Bantock remains a wonderful artist, with a true gift for creating unique books and combining his art and writing. I would most recommend the Griffin and Sabine books to the 12-24 age range, or older if the recipient is a sensitive romantic. show less