THE MOOMINS AND THE GREAT FLOOD.

UK,slim 8vo HB,no dw/dj,as issued,illustrated 1st edn thus. [Originally and first pubished in Swedish as 'Smatrollen och den storaoversvamningen' in 1945,though it was the next two books 'Comet in Moominland' and 'Finn Family Moomintroll',published in 1946 and 1948 respectively,that brought her worldwide fame. This then,is the first ever English translation,done by David McDuff.] FINE. No owner inscrptn and no price removal from rear board.Bright,crisp, clean,matt,colour pictorial artwork by Tove Jansson,to paper-covered boards with capitlised,black-lettered author name,and capitalised white-lettered title to front board with a yellow cloth blind spine with capitalised black-lettered author name,title and the publisher's name to foot of same - some letters of which with some very minimal rubbing and reciprocal colour loss; rear board with a vertical beige background for most of it,with a black line illustrationacross its width and black-lettered prose extract. and a narrow white horizontal white strip/band to it's lower edge with publishing details and a thumbnail Moomin wading in water illustration and immaculate/clean white+beige illustrated front endpapers,rear paste down as author's contemporary b/w portrait photograph.Negligible shelf-wear,bumping,creasing to edges and corners – no nicks, tears or splits present. Top+fore-edges bright,clean without blemish/foxing/ spotting ; contents bright,tight,clean,solid and sound – no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corner tips – appears unread,apart from my own collation. UK,slim 8vo HB,no dw/dj,as issued,illustrated 1st edn thus,14-58pp [paginated] includes 13 sepia illustrations,numerous b/w line illustrations throughout the text and the book, plus [unpaginated] half-title,a thumbnail illustration to title page,a separator page for new preface for first Scandinavianreprint in 1991 with a sepia illustration to its reverse,the new Preface with a Moomnin illustration to its reverse too,title separator page,,and to the rear,aauthor's potted biography to verso of last blank page. Visually the exterior appearance is [more than acceptable] exceptional and even/particularly internally,is also in an exceptional condition/state of preservation and presentation,for a book of its 10+ year-old age and nature, i.e. a child's book. It is only the faults described that prevents a slightly higher grading overall. Despite that it really is still an exceptional copy for its cleanliness, brightness and lack of other detracting faults. Offering as it does,an extraordinary glimpse into the creativity and imagination that launched the Moomin books; Moominmamma and young Moomintroll search for the long lost Moominpappa through forest and flood, meeting a little creature (an early Sniff) and the elegantly strange Tulippa along the way. Tove Jansson (1914-2001) was born in Helsinki,the daughter of a Swedish-Finnish sculptor and graphic designer.She trained as an artist and gained early renown as a painter and cartoonist. [Commissioned in 1953 by the Associated Press,to produce a regular 'Moomin' comic strip for The London 'Evening News' between 1954 and 1968.The writing and drawing were subsequently taken over by her brother,Lars,who had helped her translate the original texts into English.Later,the strip was continued,but by other artists.] But it was the creation of the Moomins - genial,philosophical creatures illustrated in deft line drawings - that was to bring her worldwide fame.'Finn Family Moomintroll',her best-beloved title,was hailed as an instant classic on its publication in her native country.She had earlier published 'Kometjakten' ('Comet in Moominland') in 1946 and which was then first published in the UK (BENN,London) in 1951,after 'Finn family Moomintroll'.The actual first 'Moomin' title 'Smaltrollen Och Den Stora Oversvamningen' ('The Little Trolls and the Great Flood') - a short story - was started in 1939 and finally published in 1945,under her own name.Prior to 2012,this first 'Moomin' title hadn't yet been translated into English.That prequel and the sequels were all written in Swedish - a total of 9 novels - covering 1945 to 1970.
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