Have you ever wondered where that missing sock has disappeared to when doing your laundry? Or why you sometimes can’t find your keys when you know you’ve put them in their usual spot? How about swallowing sour milk by mistake or eating mouldy bread when the day before it was fresh? If you’ve experienced one, or all, of these things then you’ve got goblins. But there’s good news and bad news. The good news is that Brian Froud’s Goblins 10 1/2 Anniversary Edition will guide you through your goblin infestation. The bad news is that once you have goblins you can’t get rid of them.
Renowned artist Brian Froud is perhaps best known for designing the creatures of Jim Henson’s cult classic movies Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal, and this light-hearted tome is a fine addition to Froud’s other published works. Along with author Ari Berk, Froud has updated the much-loved Goblins with this 10 1/2 Anniversary Edition. Among its pages are new letters of apologies and disclaimers complete with new art; a list of Gargle’s new titles, grants, entitlements and responsibilities, and much more! Also included is an envelope containing a new talisman that is guaranteed to ward off goblins.
Froud’s art is simply exquisite and it would have been so easy for him to simply ‘sketch’ the goblins to replicate a field guide, but each drawing is a detailed and evocative study of the goblin world and its myriad denizens. Berk’s humorous, clever and literate prose is the perfect accompaniment to Froud’s art. What they have created is more than just a biographical guide with portraits and principal characteristics to these devious creatures; it’s an in-depth look at their culture, their social hierarchy, holidays, games and personal relationships. They also include a partial transcription of the ancient Codex Goblinensis and how to recognize the signs of a goblin infestation.
It’s difficult to know for whom this completely mad, gorgeously illustrated and delightfully written book is aimed at. It’s not quite a children’s book and yet some adults might find the humor coarse and childish. Perhaps it’s the best of both worlds in that it’s a book that appeals to the child in us.
BRIAN FROUD’S GOBLINS 10 1/2 ANNIVERSARY EDITION / AUTHOR: ARI BERK / ARTIST: BRIAN FROUD / PUBLISHER: HARRY N. ABRAMS INC. / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
