Wilde and Wonderful
"The Selfish Giant and Other Stories," by Oscar Wilde; The Folio Society, $44.95, 192 pages, ages 13 and up.
THE SELFISH GIANT Copyright © 2013 by Grahame Baker-Smith. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, The Folio Society, London.
Perhaps best known as a playwright and novelist, Oscar Wilde also wrote several fairy tales. The Folio Society has published a new edition that would make an excellent gift to fairy tale fans as well as to those who love a beautiful, well-crafted book.
As with everything published by the Folio Society, the production standards for The Selfish Giant are first-rate. A sturdy metallic silver box keeps everything safe, and beautiful end papers covered in snowflakes set a magical mood. The book is printed on Abbey Wove paper and is three-quarter bound in buckram. (Buckram is a 100% cotton cloth used to cover the boards of the book.) On the cover is an exquisite illustration of the title character looking over a little boy who sits in an ethereal white-blossomed tree.
Grahame Baker-Smith illustrated The Selfish Giant. (Smith was also recently commissioned to illustrate the Folio Society's 2012 edition of Pinocchio.) During a conversation with the illustrator I asked if he incorporated Wilde's likeness into any of the images. He did; try to find which one it is in the accompanying image post. The mixed-media illustrations capture Wilde's wit, yet recall a certain melancholy, suggesting - rightly - that these stories are not for the faint of heart.
British fiction author Jeanette Winterson writes an engaging introduction, giving readers a quick primer on Wilde's life while intertwining major life milestones with his work. She reminds us that these are not bedtime stories for babies; rather, Winterson declares that these tales 'tell us what science and philosophy cannot and need not'. As a result these stories deal with themes that young children may not understand. Still, this is a glorious book, and as Wilde himself said, "With freedom, books, flowers, and the moon, who could not be happy?"
Read more and see images from the book here --
