The Gremlins [Hardcover]

Roald Dahl (Author), Artists and Writers Guild (Author), The Disney Studios (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

Published in 1943 and long unavailable, Dark Horse Books is proud to present this landmark book from the author of such beloved tales as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach and Matilda. Digitally restored, this remarkable presentation of Dahl's classic story, lavishly illustrated by the artists of the Walt Disney Studios, will delight readers of all ages! The Gremlins is the story of Gus, a British World War II fighter pilot, who during the Battle of Britain turned to look out on the wing of his plane only to see an amazing sight: a little man, no more than six inches tall with horns growing from his head, drilling a hole in the plane's wing. Gus was the first man to ever see a Gremlin, and what happened after that would change the war, and the world, forever. Bought by Walt Disney to be produced as an animated motion picture (and considered to be the first story featuring the mythical airplane sabotaging creatures known as Gremlins), the project was ultimately shelved and is reprinted here for the first time in over 60 years.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 56 pages
• Publisher: Dark Horse (September 12, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593074964
• ISBN-13: 978-1593074968
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #81,397 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #58 in Books > Children's Books > Literature & Fiction > Historical Fiction > Military & Wars
  • #59 in Books > Children's Books > Literature & Fiction > Historical Fiction > Europe

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars At last, Disney & Dahl's lost treasure., October 5, 2006

By 

Drosophila - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gremlins (Hardcover)

I'm a Disneyphile and I've been coveting this book ever since I first heard about it. I've scoured Australian secondhand bookstores for years, hoping, by some miracle, that I might find an original copy tucked away in a dusty corner somewhere with a $2 sticker on it, but to no avail. [...].

But recently I went to Abebooks just to check if there were any reasonably-priced copies available, and I nearly fell off my chair when I saw a copy for less than $10! Then I saw another one, and another one, and another one, and I immediately thought with great joy: "It's been reproduced!" And sure enough, Dark Horse Comics have lovingly restored and reissued this lost treasure, a fascinating collaboration between two of the greatest creative minds of the 20th century: Walt Disney and Roald Dahl. Previously only available to collectors with deep pockets, this whimsical tome is now available for everyone to enjoy, the young and the young at heart alike. Bravo, Dark Horse! My only regret is that the film version never got off the ground, but this book is the next best thing ... until maybe one day John Lasseter decides to do what Peter Jackson did with the "lost spider pit sequence" from the original King Kong and actually remake it from scratch as a labour of love.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars gremlins, November 9, 2006

By 

A. E. W. Fletcher (south africa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Gremlins (Hardcover)

A wondeful discovery after 60 years. Sadly the colour quality of the full page colour pictures this 2006 edition is poor when compared with my original 1943 Christmas present. The original pictures are bright & sparkly while those of the new 2006 edition are dark & even the colours have different hue. For example the picture of Gremlin Gus on the joystick. In the original the instrument dials are all clearly legible this not the case in the 2006 edition.
However how many people are priviledged to have an original to make comparisons with?
So thanks for the dicovery, maybe now Disney will release the film.
Eric Fletcher

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WONDERFUL as EVER!, April 6, 2007

By 

San Berdoo (San Bernardino, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Gremlins (Hardcover)

I have both the "Dark Horse" edition and the original and both are outstanding books. I got my first "Gremlins" in probably 1950 or so and find the new copy to be as good as the original.

The price on this edition sure beats the going rate for an original and the artwork is fine, at least to me. Probably a child of today won't appreciate the art and the story line but the "Gremlins" themselves are fantastic!

I highly recommend this book to anyone who remembers the original and also "the days of old."