"THE RETURN OF ULYSSES..."

Copyright relevant owner

In a recent post (here) about E.H. SHEPARD's illustrations for KENNETH GRAHAME's classic book, The WIND In The WILLOWS, I described the artist's pictorializations as "definitive" - and I stand by that assertion.  There is something about Shepard's linework that suits the adventures of the animal equivalent of The FANTASTIC FOUR to a tee.  However, that is not to say that other artists have not also produced magnificent representations of MOLE, RATTY, TOAD and BADGER which are masterpieces in their own right.

Such an illustrator is INGA MOORE, who created her drawings a few years ago for a slightly abridged version of Grahame's delightful and enchanting story.  So evocative are Moore's pictures, and so detailed and distinctive, that I would like to see her art grace a full and unabridged edition of the book.  Without having it to hand, I'm going from memory (the accompanying illustrations are scanned from a calendar), but if I remember correctly, Moore's edition only has ten (or perhaps eleven) of the original twelve chapters - and they have been simplified in places from Grahame's rich and articulate original text, which does not 'write down' to children.

I understand it was Inga Moore herself who did the abridging, and I'm sure she did so as sympathetically as possible - but, in my opinion, the tale should never be abridged as to do so is to diminish its effect and is an insult to both the author's memory and the reader's intelligence.  The book is a masterpiece and should not be tampered with.  Fortunately however, the magical quality of the artist's work is not affected by the dilution of the author's text, and are a shining example of near-perfection personified.