East of the Sun and West of the Moon: Old Tales from the North (Calla Editions)

I have two other Calla Editions' titles, i.e. Tales of Mystery and Imagination (Calla Editions) and Stories from Hans Christian Andersen (Calla Editions) , and they are both of superior quality in terms of binding, paper, as well as illustrations. The book is larger than a regular hardcover, I would call it an oversized book. This 2008 Calla deluxe edition is an unabridged republication of the edition originally published by George H. Doran Company, New York, in 1920. The paper is of heavy stock, one can literally feel the heft of each page! The color of the paper is a vanilla hue, and it is bound in Kennett Cloth & Rainbow, with a black cover and the side binding is cloth (dark brown). The font is large and pleasing to the eye (it doesn't mention what type of font style is used), and apart from decorative elements and black and white illustrations peppered throughout, the highlight of this book is the 25 color plates, containing illustrations by Kay Nielsen, a Danish artist whose style is part of "the golden age of illustration". These color plates appear glossy in this book, and one can literally feel the silky smooth texture of the illustrations! They are truly beautiful and exquisite.The stories contained here are all Scandinavian fairy tales, and there are fifteen tales in all. These Calla Edition books are a treasure and are a must-have for any collector and fan of fairy or folk tales.

Just beautiful

This is a very enjoyable book. Stories from every part of the world tend to reflect the land from which they come and the people who live there, and Scandanavia is no exception. These tales are filled with white bears, lonely forests, icy wastes and wicked, often multi-headed, trolls. Many stories are deeply, beautfully Christian in tone. Old Europe, North, South, East or West, was a devout place. They have a quality all their own and are an enjoyable read for both the young and the old. The only quibble is that a number of the stories are apparently variants of one another, and so feel rather similar: sipping potions to wield great swords to fight trolls-first three headed, then six, then nine headed, seems to have been a popular motif in those days. Many folk tales are likewise (foolish younger sons named Jack, etc.), so I don't think this is a big issue, but it might bother some. The illustrations by Nielson are excellent, and are very evocative of the world they are meant to depict. Illustration is a very personal thing; one man's feast is another's famine, and you might check the style of the artist before you buy, if you are not familiar with his style. The Wikipedia article on him has some nice examples of his work. While I don't find his work as appealing as, say, a Rackham or a Dulac, and in the world of Northern tales John Bauer's Swedish Folktales is better, there is still much to enjoy here. Nielson's work has an art-deco quality that is very nice. Some of the illustrations are just beautiful. It is difficult to find modern editions that reproduce Golden Age illustrations well. This Calla edition does quite a good job, though a few of the paintings seem faintly blurry. The Calla edition of Hans Anderson's tales turned out slightly better. The book is beautifully bound, with excellent quality paper. Some pages of print are faded looking, which is a shame. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in good storytelling of the old North of Europe. Calla should be thanked for making it available to us!

This is a wonderful book of fairy tales and legends from Norway with illustrations by Kay Neilsen. The 25 "page-size" color illustrations are simply remarkable and finely reproduced. About 25 smaller the black-and-white line illustrations are scattered throughout and also are delightful. As in legends and folk lore told around the world, the tales are magical and captivating, Paper is a good quality and the typeface is large (14 pt) and easy to read. If you're a child at heart, you'll love the stories. If you appreciate art, it is certainly a worthwhile book just for Kay Neilsen's illustrations. This is an excellent reproduction by Calla Editions.

It contains the same Norse Fairytales and PICTURES as the original book I had when I was 5 years old, in 1936, and was accidently destroyed, to my sorrow, when I was in 60's. The stories are beautiful and the pictures are gorgeous. The difference is that in the original the pictures were printed so beautifully, they were of framing quality (my way of explaining the quality of how they were printed). The original book was thicker (perhaps because the print was a bit larger and the paper a bit thicker and it was a deep blue in color. I loved that book, especially the story: "One's Own Children Are The Most Beautiful". I am THRILLED to have found this one that is so close to the one I loved so much with the pictures so beautifully done, even though they do not have the same 'finish'. I want to reread it myself and pass it on to my great-grandchildren and beyond. Thank you so very much for having this great copy Amazon. Elizabeth Hoffman Mueller.

I love fairy tales--as a kid, as an adult. And I love the art of Kay Nielsen. I preordered this which would reprint one of the more well-known story collections illustrated by Nielsen. Pros: nice large font, the old stories themselves, the excellent art for the stories. Cons: poor binding, sticky pages, so stiff it's hard to wield the book; detail lost in the art reproductions. For the price paid, I won't complain. I paid $19, and I'm not gonna get a marvelously bound book with razor-sharp and large reproductions for that price. It's still enjoyable. Two stars off for 1. the poor feel of the binding and 2. the loss of detail in the size/quality of reproductions. Three stars for the 1. stories 2. Nielsen's visions 3. attractive and readable font. If you want the stories and a look at the artwork (and can't afford the originals, cause they're super-expensive even on ebay), here ya go. There's enjoyable stuff, but it's not gonna satisfy completely. Mir

I have a very old copy of this book, and when it appeared on my sister's wish list, the other sister also indicated that she wanted it. I resisted getting a copy for me since I didn't really need it no matter how much I wanted it. To one sister's confusion and my delight, there were duplicates under the tree, so I got my own version. Beautiful color plates and excellent binding on this book, clean page layout, crisp design. Perfect for adding to one's library or giving as a gift!

This is a wonderful reprint of an old classic. If you have any interest in fairy tales, mythology, or the Norse world, this is a beautiful book that makes the stories in it vivid and compelling. Some of the tales are a little scary for the youngest readers, so this is a great book for reading aloud which enables the adult to be reassuring if needed.

日本語版のは探しても無くて数年経ちました 思い切ってこちらを購入しましたが買って良かったです！ ハードカバーの装丁も素敵で好みです。 毎日眺めてます。

Mi è arrivato questo pomeriggio. Un libro veramente bello, copia dell'originale del 1914, con tavole a colori e in bianco e nero dello straordinario Kay Nielsen. Solo sfogliarlo è già un'emozione, immagino quando lo leggerò!

Muy bonita edición. Recomendable para todos los amantes de los cuentos, de Kay Nielsen, y de la cultura nórdica en general.

Essa edição da Calla é de ótima qualidade, em todos os sentidos. Segue a edição original, com ilustrações belíssima de Kay Nielsen.

The previous reviewers have almost said it all. This book is absolutely sumptuous and you will undoubtedly want to treasure it forever. It's so good that it seems churlish to criticise but actually I'd have been happier if it had been printed on thinner paper - this stuff is as thick as a Cornflakes packet and consequently the pages don't lie flat. The illustrations are first rate and there's a good selection of stories - a couple of which are quite inspired but the text written in 1920, in a deliberately antique style, is a little leaden. Girls are often referred to as 'lassies' which tends to make me think of a certain dog. On balance I reckon this a book for grown ups more than kids. However all this is nit picking and I can't bring myself to give a book this beautiful only four stars.