Beauty and the Beast • Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve

I’m always browsing for beautiful books, and sometimes I stumble upon real hidden gems—while other times there’s simply no way around a book. Beauty and the Beast from Coppenrath Verlag isn’t exactly a secret tip; I’ve come across it quite a few times by now. Still, I have to blog about it, because the book is just stunning—book art at its finest and an absolute delight. In this review you’ll learn a bit about the book, but first I can only recommend scrolling on and enjoying the photos of this gorgeous edition.

Right now the Disney Hollywood version of Beauty and the Beast is flickering across local cinema screens, so it’s a good moment to write about the book. No film can truly compete with a book—and if there’s even a deluxe edition, I’ll naturally choose to read it first. The fairy tale was written in 1740 by the French author Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve. Born in Paris in 1685 and of lower nobility, she married a lieutenant colonel who squandered her fortune and died in 1711. To supplement her modest income as a governess, she wrote novels and tales. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any other of her works in translation, which is a pity, as I would gladly have read more by her.

Beauty and the Beast (originally Beauty and the Beast, often rendered earlier as “Beauty and the Animal”) only became widely known after Villeneuve’s death, in a simplified version by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont—shortened by removing the extensive backstory and streamlined to serve as an edifying book for children. This edition contains the first version from 1740, which includes the complete, more detailed narrative.

I was probably like many others: you know the rough outline, you saw the Disney animated film ages ago, but you don’t remember any details. That’s often how it is with fairy tales—until you read them again to your kids after a long time and realize these old, timeless stories are unexpectedly entertaining even for adults.

A merchant, father of several daughters, ends up by chance at an enchanted castle. To escape death, he strikes a bargain with the Beast: his youngest daughter—known to all simply as Beauty—must go to live with the fearsome creature. From there unfolds a romantic story that, somehow, works remarkably well as you read. I don’t know whether it’s the classic fairy-tale tone, the expectations set from the very beginning, or the way Beauty, as the heroine, fulfills a certain archetype—somehow the book captivates you, even if you know the ending. I read it in one sitting; the text isn’t overly long, and I simply couldn’t put it down. Perfect evening entertainment. Stylistically, it’s written in that typical fairy-tale register—simple and a pleasure to read.

As hinted above, this edition is superb—truly a dream of book art. The binding alone, with its beautiful embossed ornamentation and high-quality workmanship, won me over. Even the spine, with the castle and well-chosen typography, puts you right in a fairy-tale mood. You can’t help but run your hand over it, as with most fine clothbound books.

Open the book and you’re greeted by endpapers with a perfectly fitting pattern in a light petrol tone that contrasts beautifully with the red cover. Nicely primed by that, you turn to a title page and table of contents adorned with wonderful illustrations—in a style you’d expect from an old fairy-tale book. Not overdone, but just right. Somehow vintage yet fresh and new. Once again the typography is perfect—just like in the main text. It’s very pleasing for my detail-loving eye. I love it when a book uses a distinctive typeface that doesn’t overplay its hand yet stands out from the ordinary. They’ve nailed it here.

Each chapter opens with a double-page spread framed by lovely ornaments that shows a scene from the chapter and offers a little teaser text. These spreads are simply perfect and atmospheric—there’s nothing to improve. The main text then begins with an initial, a decorative drop cap designed with great attention to detail. Before I’d read a single line, I was already completely enchanted and 100% in fairy-tale mode.

And it gets better: there are illustrations interspersed throughout the text—sometimes for a single paragraph, sometimes for a page or two—always with a distinctive, old-fashioned, fairy-tale aura. The story, already a delightful read, takes on a vivid face, becoming more tangible and immediate. Each chapter has its own emblem that appears in the pagination.

To bring the book even more to life, nine extras have been added. They recall children’s books with movable parts, flaps, or wheels; there are also fold-out maps and, for example, a door you can pull out slightly to create a 3D effect. These elements are all fixed in place and can’t be removed. I found them charming and can imagine they’re especially exciting when reading with a child; they don’t contain major surprises or puzzles, though. If S.: Ship of Theseus comes to mind, note that these features function more like illustrations or pop-ups than a box of removable ephemera.

This book was illustrated by MinaLima Design, a graphic design studio founded by Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima. They worked on the visual design of the Harry Potter films and are therefore quite well known. You’ll also currently find Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in many bookstores, which also comes from this studio’s hand. So there are prominent illustrators behind the book, and I can well understand its success. If you’re in London, you can apparently visit their store as well. There’s also an online shop where you can order various prints and books. For this title you can even order art prints. More info at minalima.com.

If, like me, you’ve wanted to browse in a shop again only to find everything shrink-wrapped, here’s a lovely video that gives a solid impression of the book: Beauty and the Beast trailer on YouTube.

Conclusion: This book is a small work of art—convincing both in content and design. Beauty and the Beast is an entertaining fairy tale, pleasant to read, compelling in its storytelling, and anything but dusty. This edition is gorgeous and utterly won me over. It’s a quality production, with a very handsome cloth binding, wonderful illustrations, rich atmospheric visuals, and that true fairy-tale aura with all the trimmings. Crafted with great love for detail, it’s a beautiful book I can recommend to everyone. I’ve already ordered Peter Pan, another volume in this format. And The Jungle Book is due out in summer and is firmly on my list. I very much hope this trend toward beautiful books continues.

Book information: Beauty and the Beast • Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve • Coppenrath Verlag • 208 pages • ISBN 9783649624745