Nutcracker illustrated by Roberto Innocenti

Creative Editions 1996, Mint copy in hardcover with New Dustjacket as issued, first edition, first printing 136 pps, illustrated in color throughout.

“This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker’s creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie’s dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike.” –Kirkus Reviews

A Christmas Eve tradition becomes a saga of epic proportions when young Marie Stahlbaum’s beloved Nutcracker defends her against the dreaded Mouse King’s army. As Marie recovers after the battle, Godfather Drosselmeier relates Nutcracker’s sad tale, and the compassionate girl sees the truth behind the toy-like veneer. This unabridged edition of Hoffmann’s classic, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, is artfully illustrated by Roberto Innocenti and reissued for a new generation of storytellers and listeners.

$ 100.00