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HUGE PRE - CHRISTMAS SALE!!
**OUT OF
STOCK**
ALL FROUD ITEMS ARE BEING
REDUCED BY A HUGE 25%, WHILST OUR STOCKS LAST!!
GET THESE BEAUTIFUL FAERY
TITLES TO GIVE AS CHRISTMAS PRESENTS - EITHER TO YOUR FRIENDS, OR
EVEN BETTER, TO YOURSELF !!
*THE WORLD OF THE DARK
CRYSTAL*
The Collector's Edition
Paintings by Brian Froud
Recommended Retail Price: AU$49.95
NOW REDUCED
TO AU$37.50!!
TO PURCHASE, SEND
US AN EMAIL WITH YOUR REQUEST AND WE WILL ARRANGE
THE PAYMENT DETAILS.
Plus satchel postage within Australia of AU$8.65 - a TOTAL of AU$38.60. Postage on more than one item will be combined and offered at the best rate available.
FREE STANDARD POST ON 2 OR MORE TITLES (within
Australia). Registered post is also available - rates will be
calculated on request. International Postage will
be advised if you send us your country.
The World of the Dark Crystal: The Collector's Edition
The Dark Crystal is a classic tale of good, embodied by the peaceful "Mystics," and evil, represented by the oppressive
"Skeksis." The central characters are Jen and Kira, the last two living "Gelflings." Together, they must replace the Crystal's missing shard in order to restore harmony to their world, a land of enchanted flora and fauna.
This reissue contains all of the art and text of the original volume - plus a new essay by Froud, illustrated with never-before -published paintings, drawings and sculptures from the film's archives. This edition also features a facsimile of a 20-page booklet Froud and Henson created to present the film to backers, which gives an overview of the story.
From the Dark Crystal there came
no more songs.
The Suns shone as before, but dimmer;
The trees grew as before, but twisted.
Strange beasts move in the woods.
*The World of the Dark Crystal: The Collector's Edition*
Featuring the artwork of Brian Froud Text
by J. J Llewellyn
Book Description
Now 20 years old, Jim Henson's classic fantasy film
The Dark Crystal -- featuring the breathtaking concept design of renowned fantasy artist Brian
Froud -- is a soaring work of the imagination. This mystical adventure has such a huge cult following that when the film was recently re-released on video and DVD, it quickly sold a million copies. Just as remarkable is the cult status of
The World of The Dark Crystal, Froud's book on the film. Originally published in 1982 and long out of print, this definitive
volume -- packed with brilliant artwork -- has been in such demand that used copies can sell for well over $400.
Abrams is now proudly reissuing this sought-after book in a brand new collector's edition. This beautifully printed reproduction of the original volume contains all of its stunning art and
text -- plus a new essay by Froud, illustrated with never-before-published paintings, drawings, and sculptures from the film's archives. And this new edition features a facsimile of a 20-page booklet Froud and Henson created to present the film to
backers -- a gorgeous overview of the story so rare only a few copies are known to exist. This collector's edition of
The World of The Dark Crystal, like the re-released film, will truly be a must-have for Henson and Froud fans.
Brian Froud, award-winning artist, author and designer, served as the concept designer of Jim Henson’s films
The Dark Crystal and
Labyrinth. He is also the best-selling author of Pavilion’s recently released
Lady Cottington’s Fairy Album as well as
Good Faeries/Bad Faeries, Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Book (with Terry Jones) and
Faeries, co-authored with Alan Lee and recently re-released as a 25th Anniversary edition. Froud lives with his wife and son in
Devon. More information about Brian Froud
can be seen at the foot of this page.
Excerpts are from
THE WORLD OF THE DARK CRYSTAL (originally
published in 1982) written by
J. J Llewellyn. Storyline for this book is based on the Jim Henson film
"The Dark Crystal" and artwork from conceptual designer, Brian Froud. Brian provided Henson with hundreds of paintings, drawings and sculptures to define the characters, as well as work very closely with the construction of the
maquettes - the first models. Wendy Midener Froud, a key member of the original conceptual team, was in charge of creating the Gelflings and sculpted many different versions. Wendy also operated the radio-control mechanism that gave Jen (the Gelfling hero) his subtle facial expressions.
Review :
This lavish,
large picture book revisits the collaboration between Froud, prominent fairy artist, and Jim
Henson, Muppeteer, in the creation of their cult favourite
The Dark Crystal. Reissued after 20 years, this portfolio of sketches and backdrop paintings retains a certain mystique, crammed to the margins with moss-covered runes and medieval diagrams, and peopled by the movie's menagerie of grotesque, shambling puppets. There
are long-nosed Gelflings and vulturish Skeksis -
as well as
a whole array of occult symbols and carefully antiquated
tools. For the many fans of the movie and young children interested in fantasy-adventure, the book will satisfy greatly. Also included in the package is a preliminary 20-page sketchbook for the production, unseen until
now.
--Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Above
are some images of lost Gelfling, those that did not survive the
onslaught of their kind by the Skeksis.
Shown
below are Jen and Kira, the two last known Gelfling to survive
the slaughter. A special ability of the Gelfling is the
ability to see each others past through a process known as
Dreamfasting. Jen and Kira learn about each other by this
method which occurs when the two join hands.
Of
the race of Aughra, I, Aughra, am alone, the first and
last. Born from the need for rocks and trees for
an eye to see the World. The wind blew and the
blind trees sang and roots cracked and I was Aughra.
This is my song. The rocks willed me to be their
eye; the roots willed me to be their eye. Blind
rocks that felt the heartbeat of the World;
blind
trees swaying in the breathing of the wind made me to
view for them all the shapes of the World.
Slowly, slowly the roots split the rock and I was
free. I was freed from the embrace of rock and
root to witness the World, to share with the rocks the
majesty of the Three Suns. I saw the Dying Sun
and the Rose Sun and the Great Sun circling our World.
At the small price of an eye I saw the moment when the
Three Suns stood together above the Crystal. The
Dying Sun was dark against the pale beauty of the Rose
Sun and the whiter brilliance of the Great Sun.
The
Gelfling
AUGHRA:
Then it was Aughra and the race of Gelfling who shared
the World. The Gelfling sang and danced for the
joy of their lives, and I was part of that joy.
I spoke, and they listened to me. I spoke of
life within the World and of the light within the
Crystal, and from my words they made songs. We
shared thought, and I taught them to feel the
trembling of the rocks as they sang to the Crystal
they could not see. The Gelfling taught me to
dreamfast by the touch of hands; then I could see into
their minds and they into mine.
I
showed them the beauty of the Crystal when the light
of Suns in conjunction shone upon it. I taught
them how one thousand trine would pass before the
Great Conjunction, when the Three Suns combine to wake
the Crystal to full beauty. The Gelfling were
earth and spirit, masters of song and shaping.
They carved wood and stone to set free the shapes that
lay hidden in them; they moulded metal to exult in its
new form.
The
ur-Ru (Mystics)
Aughra:
The
ur-Ru fled when the Harmony was broken (the Great
Division). They were filled with sadness, and
made their way to the Valley of the Stones.
There they could shelter and meditate concealed.
They chose that twisting valley, home of mists, for
that it resembled the world they had left to come to
us;
water
flowed from abundant springs, caves filled the rocky
slopes. They made it fit for their use. I
helped, I chose stones and guided the stones to allow
themselves to be shaped.
There
the ur-Ru made stone circles of power, the framework
of the valley, everlasting protection. Within
that protection I learned what the great design of the
urSkeks had been, through woven knots, through chants
of prayer. They had hoped that by submitting
themselves to the light of the Crystal they would
purify their divided selves, that everything in them
that was less than perfect would be burned away.
They had not understood the balance of their souls;
they had thought there could be light without
darkness, stillness without motion. Instead of
perfection they had achieved division, dark from
light, force from virtue, Skeksis from ur-Ru.
The
Skeksis
The
Skeksis woke from the shock of division, and they woke
full of violence and anger. They stormed into
the Crystal Chamber, staggering with the strain of
their new bodies, grasping each other in order to
stand yet hating each other's touch. There was
loud argument, they struck blows, one hit the Crystal.
A shard broke from the Crystal and flew up the shaft,
out onto the mountainside. And the light left
the Crystal.
The
Skeksis held the castle; But the Skeksis felt no
grief, triumph rather, for in the castle they reigned
in glory. The darkness of the Crystal seemed to
them an eternal refreshment. And in their first
days they still shone with a fire that could deceive
the eye, dazzling like flame on sharp-edged swords,
full of daring wit and bold experiment, but with ice
at their hearts and a thirst for blood and darkness.
Yet their speech was still like music, their ways
enchantment. They knew best of all arts the
skill of flattery.
When
the Skeksis began to take Gelfling as well as Pod
People as slaves, the Gelfling were dismayed.
For once they took thought for the future. They
sought to know if the Crystal might be healed, if the
Skeksis rule must continue. They lit the fires
of prophecy, they took counsel from the flames.
Seven circles of seven Gelfling lay on the hilltops
all night, their faces to the stars. Their
dreams were made stone; the Wall of Destiny still
stands.
There
the Gelfling were shown the Quest for the lost Shard,
and they were shown the healing of the Crystal by the
hand of a Gelfling, replacing the Shard by the light
of a Great Conjunction. And there too they were
shown the ruin of the Gelfling, the fall of their
houses. And the Wall stood for all to see.
The
Skeksis saw it too; and with bold cruelty resolved to
foil the prophecy. And when the Skeksis could
direct the Garthim with their crystal bats all-seeing
crystal eyes, they made an end to the Gelfling.
Two Gelflings survived the slaughter, two infants
unknown to the Skeksis. Jen was found and
fostered by the ur-Ru, Kira by the Pod People.
AUGHRA:
Jen
had been shown the crystal Shard in dreams and told to
find me, Aughra, on my mountain. The ur-Ru in
their wisdom told him no more but sent him on his
Quest; I in my foolishness thought it folly. But
when he saw the shards I guarded, he sounded music on
his flute. Then the true Shard shone with light,
the false shards could be told apart. I rejoiced
in my withered heart, for I saw that the Crystal could
again be healed, the World restored. And when
Jen brought the Shard to its rightful place in the
Crystal Chamber, when Kira gave herself to the
Skeksis' swords to win Jen's freedom, the hearts of
the Skeksis were filled with terror. As Kira lay
felled beneath the swords of the Skeksis, as the Three
Suns came to conjunction in glory, as the ur-Ru
marched into the castle, Jen healed the Crystal.
Then
with the shard restored the Three Suns stood above the
glowing Crystal and flooded it with light. The
healed Crystal of its own accord sent forth beams of
light to the ur-Ru. Ur-Ru and Skeksis joined
again, entered the Crystal and returned again, and
left our World to live in light. And the Garthim
that the Skeksis had dreamed vanished as a dream, the
light and life that they had taken from their captives
were restored, even to Kira. The heavens were
fair, the Suns glorious, the earth fruitful, the air
like a cloud of gold. I walked the forests that
sang of freedom and the Crystal healed; and all shone
as on the first day.
Product Details
Recommended Retail Price: AU$49.95
Hardcover: 132 pages
Product Dimensions: 335mm x 280mm Shipping Weight:
1.5 kg (3.2 pounds)
Publisher: Pavilion - an imprint of Chrysalis Books Group
Published: 2003
ISBN: 1862056242
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