During her career, Tove Jansson also illustrated books written by other prestigious authors. One of the most important projects was Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, in addition to The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. Get to know how this came about and see the illustrations here!
Opportunities to illustrate other authors’ books were interesting projects for Tove Jansson. Just like her illustrations for anything, the results were unique and created conversation.
Taking on stories like Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and The Hobbit after they had reached popularity was not an easy task. Many readers already had their own imaginations about these classics, and not everyone was a fan of how Tove depicted certain characters and storylines.
Tove was first asked to illustrate the Swedish edition of Lewis Carroll’s The Hunting of the Snark in 1959. A few year later came her illustrations for The Hobbit.
The Swedish translations of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland illustrated by Tove were published in 1966 and 1983, and the same illustrations appeared in the Finnish edition in 1983.
The final Moomin novel, Moominvalley in November, was published in 1970, and the picture book The Dangerous Journey in 1977.
The American edition with Tove’s illustrations was first released in 1977, the British edition in 2011 and the Norwegian edition in 2013.
New editions out in the US and France in October 2024!
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland illustrated by Tove Jansson was long unavailable in North America, but the wait is over! Published by New York Review Books, you can order this treasure from the 29th October 2024.
The book is also now available for order in France! Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was released in French in October 2024 by Éditions Cambourakis.
In the UK, you can order the book from the Moomin Shop.
Tove Jansson freed herself from the “Moomin style” when illustrating The Hobbit
Tove Jansson illustrated The Hobbit and freed herself from the “Moomin style”. She also illustrated books by other authors.
How Tove Jansson’s drawing style and the Moomins developed over the decades
Did you ever notice how Tove Jansson drawing style changed over the years? Find out how Moomins evolved along their author’s style.
Tove Jansson’s artistic career
Tove Jansson was a talented artist long before the Moomin stories. Get to know her career as a painter, illustrator, writer and cartoonist!