Thursday, February 16, 2012

"More Fairy Tales from Efteling" by Martijn van der Linden


In case you don't know, Efteling is a fairy tale and fantasy theme park in Europe (in Amsterdam) rivaling Disney World in its extravagance, with one difference: it doesn't use quite the uniquely-branded version of fairy tales Disney does. (Note: the site appears to have had a recent upgrade since I last visited and it's a little difficult to fid my way around in there but you should be able to find the attractions pages - there are 4 - and the tickets etc page.)

Thumbelina by Martijn van der Linden

Summary from a travel website:
Built in the 1950s, and one of the leading theme parks in Europe, the popular theme park of Eftling is a must for children of all ages. Its fairytale theme captivates children and transports them into their favourite imaginary world. Complete with a fairy tale forest, lakes and trails, kids will delight at the 1895 steam carousel, the award-winning Fairy Tale stage show, the Adventure Maze, and the wooden roller coaster called Pegasus.
Here are some commercials for Efteling (in Dutch I think) to give you an idea of what the park is like (looks amazing!). The commercials are from many different years:


Like Disney World, though, the theme park does have things for sale in keeping with the park's themes and content. Some of those are books of fairy tales, presented by Eftling with artists they commission.

Here are some (more) of the gorgeous illustrations by Martijn van der Linden for a volume released in November 2011:
Unknown fairy tale by Martijn van der Linden
The Snow Queen by Martijn van der Linden 
The Ugly Duckling by Martijn van der Linden
The Steadfast Tin Soldier by Martijn van der Linden
Jorinde & Joringel by Martijn van der Linden
The Fisherman & HIs Wife by Martijn van der Linden
Lovely aren't they? You can order it through HERE I believe (if you're savvy about buying something in Euros) or through the theme park.


You can find lots more work by the artist on his blog HERE and a little more in his online portfolio HERE. Unfortunately, he doesn't say too much about this book or about the tales. The online translator comes up with "Tales of the Big Ben", which isn't much help as I don't understand a title like that in this context.


You can see the book is titled "More Fairy Tales From Eftling", which implies other volumes, and the text is also in English. (Perhaps that's the most common language among all their visitors?) I wish I had more information to give you but I can't even seem to find this book again in my searches now (thank goodness I bookmarked).

3 comments:

  1. Great post! I am an Efteling fan, even have my own Efteling site at www.eftelinguk.com. In regards to the book, you can order it in English from their webshop which is now also shipping to the UK! We have this book and the first volume which we bought from Efteling online, and they are great!

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Efteling is not in Amsterdam, But in a villiage in the south of the Netherlands.
    The web shop from the efteling does not exsit any more.
    But if any body know I a dutch woman living in the UK, Bath, would like to buy the english version of the book fore a friend living in the UK.

    hderooij6021@gmail.com

    Many Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi, the first book is blue and called 'Efteling Book Of Fairy Tales' and contains illustrations by Anton Pieck. The second is red and called 'More Fairy Tales From Efteling' the books can now only be bought in the souvenir shops located inside the park or inside the park owned accommodations. They are available in Dutch, German and English. There is now also a green one 'En Ze Leefde Nog Lang En Gelukkig' but that one is only available in Dutch.

    ReplyDelete