Would Actually Kill And Die For This Book, I Will Commit Acts Of Treason Against My Own Country To Read

Would actually kill and die for this book, i will commit acts of treason against my own country to read this book, I am dyslexic and adhd is like a possibility at this point but I will put my whole heart and soul into forcing my cant read brain into reading this book please and thank you

I finally got around to starting this wonderful book, what is essentially an encyclopaedia / analysis into moominvalley and all the creatures, characters, themes, and stories therein. The cover and the size strike me the most, this thing is large! It’s beautifully embossed and gilded (although the printing on the back cover is slightly misaligned but I find it gives it more depth)

The inside cover has this intricate bookplate with the latin “Work and Love”. It’s not captioned so that all I can get from it for now.

Past that is a pretty and colourful spread in the style of the magazine covers, there’s a lot of contrast here, not only with the colours but the sun and storm clouds being a page apart.

The foreword by Frank Cottrell-Boyce and author introduction by Phillip Ardagh both tell the same story, of how they discovered moominvalley, and how they now relate to it later in life. Ostensibly the same story, they relate to moominvalley differently, with Frank views his relationships and experiences through it, branding people as “fillyjonks” and himself as a “moominpapa”. Phillip puts the books into context, 1945 being the end of the war, and relating (and extending) the unrelenting good will of the moomin family to events in our own time.

What is consistent with the two though is their adoration and respect for Tove. Frank admiring her ability to connect with people across social classes and countries, and Phillip’s name isn’t on the front or back cover nor even the spine, it is The World of Moominvalley, as created by Tove Jannison.

I’m really excited to get into this book ^_^ the authors seem like people with genuine connections to the stories I love, hearing them talk about how they relate moominvalley to their daily lives reminds me there is a real community around all this!