Griffin & Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Nick Bantock (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1991

Griffin: It's good to get in touch with you at last. Could I have one of your fish postcards? I think you were right -- the wine glass has more impact than the cup. --Sabine

But Griffin had never met a woman named Sabine. How did she know him? How did she know his artwork? Who is she? Thus begins the strange and intriguing correspondence of Griffin and Sabine. And since each letter must be pulled from its own envelope, the reader has the delightful, forbidden sensation of reading someone else's mail. Griffin & Sabine is like no other illustrated novel: appealing to the poet and artist in everyone and sure to inspire a renaissance in the fine art of letter-writing, it tells an extraordinary story in an extraordinary way.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This singular, magical volume invites readers to examine handmade postcards and open colorful envelopes as they eavesdrop on lonely London card-designer Griffin Moss and mysterious South Pacific islander Sabine Strohem. Sabine introduces herself to Griffin with a note congratulating him on a design on one of the postcards he illustrates--and alluding to an alteration he made during the creative process. Perplexed because he works alone and discusses his creative dilemmas with no one, he responds, begging her to enlighten him as to how she knew about the original design. In her next missive, she admits, "I share your sight," and their correspondence grows increasingly intimate. Sabine continues to make psychic observations and beckons to Griffin from her atoll; Griffin fantasizes about her to escape his drab existence, his interest turning to obsession. Their personalities shine through both their art and penmanship: Griffin's faintly disturbing, often subliminally violent collages, blocky printed words and imperfectly typewritten pages contrast with Sabine's whimsical doodles, fanciful postage stamps and flowing, calligraphic script. Pop-up book author Bantock's ( There Was an Old Lady ) images and concept will haunt the imagination.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Nick Bantock is the author of numerous illustrated novels, including Griffin & Sabine , Sabine's Notebook , The Golden Mean , The Gryphon , and Alexandria , which together spent 100 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list. Born in England, he now lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books; 6th Edition edition (September 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877017883
• ISBN-13: 978-0877017882
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 8.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (73 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #22,475 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delicious and Mysterious Romance, February 20, 2003

By 

Brockeim "Playful Literary Adventurer" (Where the wind blows.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Griffin & Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence (Hardcover)

Lovers love, and whatever distance or mystery is tossed between them, they still will love. In "Griffin & Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence" by Nick Bantock, we begin an intimate journey between two lovers destined to be enraptured in all that is dreamt of. They catapult the divide of geography and join mid-mail in a postal embrace, captured by Bantock in a sweet and phenomenal book.

Griffin is a postcard artist in England and Sabine is a stamp designer for a small Pacific island. Each is perceived as sublimely exotic to the other as they reveal the secrets of their lives through correspondence.

What is the romance of "Griffin & Sabine?" Besides being an 'extraordinary correspondence,' it is about two lovers who connect through the artistic passions they share. Like the romances that now happen through the internet, or the Victorian era correspondences, there is an innocence and delicacy to their exchanges of mail.

This is the romance which never happened in "84 Charing Cross Road." This is what the romance should've been in "You've Got Mail." This is what "Cyrano De Bergerac" could've been if not a tragedy.

Bantock dangles a sensuous, sumptuous step into the hearts of a fantasy based in a reality that the reader will smile, wondering if the writer knew someone like Sabine, if she has been created like Pygmalion sculpted Galatea.

Begin with "Griffin & Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence" and follow their story through subsequent tales in other book.

--Brockeim

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Treasure for those who have, will and are falling in love!, September 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Griffin & Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence (Hardcover)

I was given this as a gift from my "extraordinary correspondent" 3000 miles away and it made me appreciate the joys of becoming entranced in the possiblity of love and the tingle of fear that comes when that love is real. Nick Bantock takes us on a journey, through love letters. Letters that the reader can actually remove from their envelope, open and read! For those of you who thought you were too old for "pop-up like books" you're in for a treat! The beautiful artwork only adds to the story. I can't wait to read book #2!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a beautiful collection, worth more than a 5 star rating, December 22, 1999

By 

anesthezea - See all my reviews

This review is from: Griffin & Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence (Hardcover)

From the moment I opened the first book of this trilogy, I was in love. A beautiful, mysterious story drawn out in real letters and postcards. The story is only heightened by the breathtaking artwork on each page. I highly recommend these books, and that you read them in order. Each has a sudden and mysterious ending that leaves you yearning for more.