Description
La Belle Au Bois Dormant – Avec Illustrations Par Arthur Rackham
‘La Belle Au Bois Dormant’ is the French-language version of ‘Sleeping Beauty’. Although an ancient tale, it was the storytelling of Charles Perrault (the legendary French folklorist), who fixed the narrative as we know it today. Perrault (1628 – 1703), was among the first writers to bring magical children’s stories into the literary mainstream, proving to his original seventeenth century readers that such works were important, enjoyable, as well as thought-provoking. They remain as popular today, as they were then – with ‘La Belle Au Bois Dormant’ being no exception.
The book further contains a series of dazzling colour and black-and-white illustrations – by a master of the craft; Arthur Rackham (1867-1939). One of the most celebrated painters of the British Golden Age of Illustration (which encompassed the years from 1850 until the start of the First World War), Rackham’s artistry is quite simply, unparalleled. Throughout his career, he developed a unique style, combining haunting humour with dream-like romance. Presented alongside the text, his illustrations further refine and elucidate Margery Bianco’s captivating narrative.