Abbeville Illustrated Classics – serie

A great American novelist, illustrated by a great American artist - now available in a collectable two-volume set.In 1936, the Heritage Press, a publisher of fine editions, commissioned Norman Rockwell to illustrate Mark Twain's Adventures of Tom Sawyer; four years later, they asked him to illustrate The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as well. For each book, Rockwell created eight full-colour paintings and numerous pen-and-ink drawings, the product of extensive on-the-ground research in Twain's hometown of Hannibal, Missouri. Famously, Rockwell even tried to buy some Hannibal residents' old clothes, to dress his models in.For years, the Rockwell editions of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn have been unavailable in stores. Now, Abbeville Press is proud to reissue them as a handsome new clothbound set. The colour plates are reproduced from new photography of Rockwell's original paintings, the typesetting has been done anew to a high standard, and new introductions - illustrated with Rockwell's rarely seen preliminary sketches - examine this unique encounter between two legendary chroniclers of America.Also available: Treasure Island and Kidnapped boxed set ISBN 9780789214089

N.C. Wyeth’s illustrations to Treasure Island and Kidnapped — first published in 1911 and 1913, respectively, by Charles Scribner’s Sons — made his artistic reputation. With a bold mastery of light and colour, Wyeth brilliantly conveyed action, character, and setting, lending an extra excitement to Robert Louis Stevenson’s tales of pirates and buried treasure, and intrigue in the Scottish Highlands. Now readers can enjoy this classic author-illustrator pairing in a handsome two-volume slipcased set, typeset anew and printed and bound to a high standard.This collectible set also includes a new introduction by Christine B. Podmaniczky, a leading expert on N.C. Wyeth. She reveals Wyeth’s daring approach to these illustrations — which he painted at a large scale, directly on the canvas — and explores their later influence on visual culture, including stage and screen adaptations of Stevenson’s novels.Also available: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn boxed set, ISBN 9780789213679

Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women was a critically acclaimed bestseller upon its publication in 1868. It tells the story of sisters Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March — each a young woman with a distinctive and relatable personality, a rare feature for a children’s novel at the time. The novel continues to resonate with readers as a timeless tale of growing up. This is the first modern edition of Little Women to feature the complete illustrations of Clara Miller Burd, originally executed in 1926. Burd’s brilliant colour plates and detailed drawings bring the world of the March family to life. An introduction by Alice A. Carter, an expert on Golden Age illustration, explores Burd’s life and the work of early 20th-century women illustrators. This new edition, handsomely bound in cloth, will be the perfect gift for all devotees of Little Women.