I've not been a presence in Blogland very much for quite some time. But from the very start I had a wishlist of books and paper dolls I hoped I'd be able to acquire both for my own private collection and to share on this blog for others to enjoy.
This book topped that wishlist. I was given a copy as a child by someone in my family (one of my father's sisters I think). But the dolls and clothes had long since been removed. All I could see of them were the jagged edges of pages and the odd scrap of detail that had tantalisingly been left behind, Even without the dolls I still loved the book and I was very sad as an adult to realise it had been lost along the way.
Today copies in mint condition with the dolls and clothes intact are highly sought after and relatively rare. They command high prices - usually I'd baulk at spending quite so much on a book but I thought this one was worth it. I've spent years trying to find one and now I'm thrilled to discover it is every bit as magical as I hoped it would be.
I'm sorry I've felt the need to disfigure each of these pages with a watermark but I've learnt the hard way that there are a lot of unscrupulous people out there. I've come across my own images brazenly plastered all over other websites and blogs and I was once alerted to the fact that someone was trying to make money out of selling some of my scans. So while I've not placed these across the middle of each image to totally ruin them I have had to make it difficult for someone else to pass them off as their own.
Besides the dolls the book contains the classic Disney version of Sleeping Beauty. I'm only including the frontispiece and one other page here - this was my favourite illustration and I think the wonderful glowing effect is just as appealing today as I remember it was when I was young
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Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful book! I've wanted a copy for myself as well. But as you said, they are pricey when one is lucky enough to find one in mint condition. Maybe one day.... Sleeping Beauty is one of my favorite Disney animated films. I couldn't tell you exactly why I love this particular film so much. Perhaps it is the fact that it was released a year after I was born, or the artwork that went into creating it, or the fact that she meets Phillip and falls instantly in love with him (since in Disney's version they don't wait the 100 years for her to awaken with a kiss) and he with her. I will admit too that I had a crush on Phillip when I was younger and to this day, out of all the Disney Princes he is the handsomest in my eyes. Aurora is also the prettiest of all the Princesses. Whatever the reason, the art of this particular movie is the best of all the Disney films in my humble opinion.
ReplyDeleteIt is a shame that you had to put a watermark over the images but one can't really blame you. I've even seen my efforts of sharing my collection on other sites without an acknowledgement as to where they found them.
Thank you again for sharing this beautiful storybook. I'd seen the paper dolls in bits and pieces but not all the pages. I never had this storybook as a child, but wish I had. :)
Hi Nora ..... it has always been one of my favourites too ..... (made the year I was born so there is something in that!) ... the artwork is magical... whoever decided on that style was a genius.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to use the email button on the sidebar I'll email you the scans without the watermarks. I don't mind doing this for people I know well and can trust ...... like you I had seen them piecemeal before so finally holding the book in my hands and paging through it was wonderful!
So wonderful to see a post from you. Hope you are well. The book and dolls are fabulous. So pleased you found one. We don´t know what we have when we are young do we. We have moved to Spain and I couldn´t take much with me but I did bring along a couple of my favourite books from my childhood.
ReplyDeleteFirst place, I'm so sorry that there are unscrupulous people out there. I hear about them all the time. I've even found my books on sites.
ReplyDeleteI love this whole Sleeping Beauty one, but then she's my favorite.
So happy to see you back! Hope all has been well with you. I am so happy for you that you found such a sought after treasure. I can see why you wanted a copy so badly. Beautiful! Sorry to hear about people taking things that don't belong to them!
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely week.
~Jess
This is a very charming paper doll book. I love that the dolls are double sided. That's something I've always wanted to try with my art and never have really managed to do.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful find! So glad you scanned it for all of us to enjoy.
ReplyDeleteThey're so awesome. They make me remember happy memories of the childhood. This is a nice fairytale.
ReplyDeleteHow fun to come across this post! I have this exact same book from childhood(imagine, it was only 25 cents at the time!). I had to run and dig it out of storage before typing my comment. I wasn't sure if any bits of clothes were left, but no, sadly the paper dolls and clothes are long gone. The middle section has the story intact and flipping through it, I remember my favorite illustration was the same one as yours. Another favorite Little Golden paper doll book I owned (and still do) was Little Red Riding Hood (again, the dolls and clothes are missing). Thanks so much for sharing your great find!
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