Secrets of the Gnomes

Secrets of the Gnomes; Wil Huygen (text), Rien Poortvliet (illustrations); Harry N. Abrams Inc., Publishers, New York, 1982. From the blurb of Gnomes 1977 – Do you know that a Gnome is seven times stronger than a human? Or that his sense of smell is nineteen times more acute? Or that Gnomes rub noses in both greeting and farewell? Or that Gnome couples always have twin children? These and other fascinating real-life details – pictured in full color by the noted Dutch artist Rien Poortvliet – illuminate this first documentary portrayal of Gnomes, as distinct from Elves, Goblins, Trolls, Kobolds, and Fairies. Here are important events from Gnome history. This is a book full of lore, history, and fun. For, of course, all these factual data are invented. And what a great tongue-in-cheek book this is. 212 pages, all in color, hundreds of illustrations, maps, and diagrams. From the blurb of this book – Rien Poortvliet and Wil Huygen find that they have been turned into gnomes themselves! They learn of the tender emotional life of a gnome, the mechanics of the ingenious gnome technology, how gnomes administer justice in the wild, how fairy tales first began and, best of all, they are allowed to see parts of the magical Secret Book. They are led from Lapland across the Siberian wilderness by Nicholas, their gruff but friendly guide. Lovers of gnomes will celebrate the arrival of this new volume and will delight in the opportunity to know these elusive creatures better. Scores of enchanting illustrations by Dutch artist Rien Poortvliet record the comings and goings of gnomes and the loving interaction with nature for which they are so famous. 200 pages in full color. This large format book is in fine condition in a near-fine dust jacket that is now enclosed in a protective mylar wrap. …