Customer Reviews

East of the Sun and West of the Moon: Old Tales from the North (Calla Editions)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This was the most treasured book of my childhood. My copy was lost in a fire in the 1950s. I also want to see it reprinted, with a green cover, etc. Please!

PS - To the reviewer who complained that this book contains no one of color: It is an historical collection of northern European fairy tales, not a modern, politically correct manifesto. Although its setting in the northern forests it is timeless and placeless in its magic.

I grew up on this book, and I can't imagine a child growing up without it. I am lucky in that my mother has a copy of it, because since as early as I can remember, I've heard the stories and loved the pictures. Kay Nielsen was a brilliant artist, and the stories are beautiful in and of themselves - this book definitely needs to be back in print. None of that paperback nonsense, either...I'm talking the original way, hardback (green cloth cover with gold embossment), and the dust jacket in green as well, with one of Nielsen's brilliant watercolors on the front (I forget which it is).

This is by far one of the most beautiful books I have ever had the privilege to see.

The stories are haunting and enthralling in the best fairy tale tradition, and the illustrations are spectacular.

I have loved this beautifully written and drawn book since childhood. I would love to see it back in print, as it is a wonderful addition to any book collection.

I LOVED THIS BOOK AS A CHILD AND WOULD LOVE TO SEE IT REPRINTED IN A LUXURY EDITION. THE STORIES ARE UNUSUAL AND THE ILLUSTRATIONS ARE AN ART NOUVEAU WONDERLAND.

I have two other Calla Editions' titles, i.e. Tales of Mystery and Imagination (Calla Editions)and Stories from Hans Christian Andersen (Calla Editions), and they are both of superior quality in terms of binding, paper, as well as illustrations. The book is larger than a regular hardcover, I would call it an oversized book. This 2008 Calla deluxe edition is an unabridged republication of the edition originally published by George H. Doran Company, New York, in 1920. The paper is of heavy stock, one can literally feel the heft of each page! The color of the paper is a vanilla hue, and it is bound in Kennett Cloth & Rainbow, with a black cover and the side binding is cloth (dark brown). The font is large and pleasing to the eye (it doesn't mention what type of font style is used), and apart from decorative elements and black and white illustrations peppered throughout, the highlight of this book is the 25 color plates, containing illustrations by Kay Nielsen, a Danish artist whose style is part of "the golden age of illustration". These color plates appear glossy in this book, and one can literally feel the silky smooth texture of the illustrations! They are truly beautiful and exquisite.The stories contained here are all Scandinavian fairy tales, and there are fifteen tales in all. These Calla Edition books are a treasure and are a must-have for any collector and fan of fairy or folk tales.

I love fairy tales--as a kid, as an adult. And I love the art of Kay Nielsen. I preordered this which would reprint one of the more well-known story collections illustrated by Nielsen.

Pros: nice large font, the old stories themselves, the excellent art for the stories.

Cons: poor binding, sticky pages, so stiff it's hard to wield the book; detail lost in the art reproductions.

For the price paid, I won't complain. I paid $19, and I'm not gonna get a marvelously bound book with razor-sharp and large reproductions for that price. It's still enjoyable.

Two stars off for 1. the poor feel of the binding and 2. the loss of detail in the size/quality of reproductions. Three stars for the 1. stories 2. Nielsen's visions 3. attractive and readable font.

If you want the stories and a look at the artwork (and can't afford the originals, cause they're super-expensive even on ebay), here ya go. There's enjoyable stuff, but it's not gonna satisfy completely.

Mir

This is a very enjoyable book. Stories from every part of the world tend to reflect the land from which they come and the people who live there, and Scandanavia is no exception. These tales are filled with white bears, lonely forests, icy wastes and wicked, often multi-headed, trolls. Many stories are deeply, beautfully Christian in tone. Old Europe, North, South, East or West, was a devout place. They have a quality all their own and are an enjoyable read for both the young and the old. The only quibble is that a number of the stories are apparently variants of one another, and so feel rather similar: sipping potions to wield great swords to fight trolls-first three headed, then six, then nine headed, seems to have been a popular motif in those days. Many folk tales are likewise (foolish younger sons named Jack, etc.), so I don't think this is a big issue, but it might bother some.

The illustrations by Nielson are excellent, and are very evocative of the world they are meant to depict. Illustration is a very personal thing; one man's feast is another's famine, and you might check the style of the artist before you buy, if you are not familiar with his style. The Wikipedia article on him has some nice examples of his work. While I don't find his work as appealing as, say, a Rackham or a Dulac, and in the world of Northern tales John Bauer's Swedish Folktales is better, there is still much to enjoy here. Nielson's work has an art-deco quality that is very nice. Some of the illustrations are just beautiful.

It is difficult to find modern editions that reproduce Golden Age illustrations well. This Calla edition does quite a good job, though a few of the paintings seem faintly blurry. The Calla edition of Hans Anderson's tales turned out slightly better. The book is beautifully bound, with excellent quality paper. Some pages of print are faded looking, which is a shame.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in good storytelling of the old North of Europe. Calla should be thanked for making it available to us!

You must buy this book !
The images and stories need to be held, felt, smelt. The feel of the paper as you read nonpolitically correct tales of long ago.
Reminders of a childhood you never had. This entire volume feels like entering a past time when all things were possible. When the bad were bad, the good were simply beautiful, and dreams became nightmares, and then dreams again.
The hard cover with gold embossing is a facsimile, but it has been done with a spirit that takes you back to a time before you existed ... to a time which lives as a faint memory, of a childhood we wish we had.
Simply buy this book .. and hold it, feel it majic.

Since I'm a great fan of Kay Nielsen, I'm satisfied with this book.
About a year ago, I bought his illustration book which collected lots of illustrations from the old version of this book. I was so impressed with those works, I really wanted to get this book. I was literally ached whole body to get this book. So, when I heard the news that company was preparing this edition, I was so happy.
Finally, thanks to Amazon, this book came to me. I really thank you for delivering this product fast and safely. Though the letters and some words inside this book are old fashioned, I'm so contented with the way it is. Especially the color of illustraions is so nicely printed.