1937 Snow White Book by Whitman, no.1075 (non-Disney)

Licensed by Disney, Whitman Publishing Company of Racine, Wisconsin produced for many years a multitude of Snow White books, puzzles and games. Oodles of them! And yet, in 1937--the same year that Disney premiered their motion picture--they sort of beat them to the punch by publishing their own Snow White book, catalog no. 1075. It follows the Grimm Brothers story more closely than the Disney version. Softcover made from linenette, a textured paper. No author or illustrator credits. Colored and b&w illustrations. Dimensions: 8.75" x 6.5".

Margarete von Waldeck - Real-Life Snow White?

Researcher Eckhard Sander, in his 1994 book, Schneewittchen: Marchen oder Wahrheit? (Snow White: Is It a Fairy Tale?), put forth the idea that the Snow White story was actually based upon the life of a beautiful 16th century German countess, Margarete von Waldeck (1533-1554).

Sander discovered numerous similarities between the young Margaretha of Waldeck and the Grimm Brothers' heroine.

• Margarete had an antagonistic relationship with her stepmother.
• At the age of 16, the girl was forced to leave her home in Germany and live in Brussels.
• Her father, Philipp IV of Waldeck-Wildungen, owned copper mines worked mainly by children. Because of poor working conditions, many died young, but those who lived suffered from malnutrition and stunted growth. They were scornfully referred to as “poor dwarfs”.
• Margarete had a love affair with a prince (Philip II-- the future King of Spain). The relationship was frowned upon by his relatives since no political benefit would have been gained through marriage.
• To do away with Margarete, it is thought that she might have been poisoned at the age of 21.

"Little Snowdrop" Book from 1902

Recently, a friend donated this storybook to the Filmic Light Collection. Published in 1902 by McLoughlin Bros. of New York, the softcover volume contains several classic fairytales, including a Snow White account entitled Little Snowdrop. Unlike the Disney film, this version stays true to the original story as recorded by the Brothers Grimm. Snowdrop must endure three trials by the Queen, and in the end, it's not a kiss, but a bump in the road that awakens the young princess from her sleep. Plus the Queen meets a rather gruesome demise. B+W illustrations with color plates.

Even in this version, the artist has placed a pair of glasses on one of the dwarfs.

Book donated by Colin Cameron.

1969 Finnish Snow White Book

In an earlier Archive entry, we examined a Snow White book from 1960. While not a Disney produced title, it nonetheless closely followed the story version told in the Disney film. Nardini, the illustrator of that book, filled the pages with dynamic compositions, some of it quite reflective of the original Disney studio artwork.

Today, Snow White collector Titania Hill shares a few scans from another book, this one printed in Finland in 1969. It too shares similarities with the original Disney work, as well as with the 1960 Nardini book.

The text is in Finnish and is marked "Copyright © 1969 by ED. G. Malipiero Bologna. All Rights Reserved. Printed in Finland. All Rights Reserved in Finland to ARTOKO Inc."

G. Malipiero is the author/editor, and the artwork was created by Canaider, who signed most of his illustrations.

To avoid copyright infringement issues with Disney, the publisher/artist would certainly have to make the dwarfs as non-Disney as possible. Still, it's interesting that one of the little men was given "Doc" glasses.

Aspects of the artwork do clearly draw from Disney. Add a red bow in the hair and some color to Snow White's shoulders and you have a Disney princess. A black babushka instead of yellow would just about give us the Disney Witch.

As with the earlier book, the story also follows closely to the Disney version, particularly when it comes to such details as the Witch's demise.

Disney-influenced or not, these storybook illustrations from the 1960s are some nice examples of Snow White artwork.

Illustrations copyright Canaider/Ed. G. Malipiero. Scans courtesy of the Titania Hill Collection.

Nardini Illustrations in 1960 Snow White Book

My Book of Snow-White and the Seven Dwarfs was first issued in 1960 by UK publisher Odhams Press Limited and in the US by Maxton. Contains 27 pages and stands 32cm tall.

Although it's not a Disney title, the illustrations by artist Nardini bare a familiar likeness to what we see in the motion picture. The book starts with Snow White's mother and her wish for a child, but it quickly falls in line with the film after that.

The Evil Queen consults her mirror.

Snow White flees into the dark forest.

She finds the cottage of the Seven Dwarfs, and they march home across the iconic Disney-esque log bridge.

At the cottage and the palace.

The evil potion.

And poison apple.

Illustrations of the hag and princess.

Sleeping death and the dwarfs in pursuit.

Fatal fall.

Love's first kiss.

And happily ever after.

Images courtesy of the Muir Hewitt Collection.

8th Dwarf A Little "Creepy" (Book Review)

Front Cover

Writer Michael Mullin is the co-author of the children's picture book series Larry Gets Lost. Michael used to work at Disney as a copywriter in the Consumer Products Division. While there, he wrote not one, but two sequels to Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas. He personally met with Tim who approved both books for publication, yet Disney never moved forward with them.

Tim Burton...a fan of Mullin's writing. Keep this in mind as we review Michael's Snow White eBook, 8: The Previously Untold Story of the Previously Unknown 8th Dwarf.

Title Page

Written in verse and about 2200 words in length, 8 tells the story of Creepy, who is banished by the other dwarfs to the cottage cellar for being different or as the author puts it "well...weird." The name suits this eighth dwarf as he is indeed a distasteful character and is unlike any of the other seven--even Grumpy. Creepy would never have made it past one of Walt Disney's storyboard meetings.

Yet, in this account, the angry and hurt dwarf plays a vital--and of course previously unknown--role in Snow White's destiny. Watching the princess through cracks in the floorboards, Creepy secretly falls in love with "the Maid". As with the original Brothers Grimm tale, the "old hag" pays three visits to the cottage, and it's during these encounters that the eighth dwarf (sort of) overcomes his "unpleasant" tendencies when he goes to her aid.

This short metrically-structured fable certainly has a different, edgier feel to it than that of the classic fairytale. And if you are a die-hard Disney "pretty in pink" princess fan, it's probably not what you're looking for. I found it disturbing at moments. Yet fresh and original too. The story is well-written, and if the Tim Burton-esque is more your style, then you won't be disappointed with Michael Mullin's 8: The Previously Untold Story of the Previously Unknown 8th Dwarf.

The eBook is available for just 99¢ at: Apple's iBookstore, BarnesandNoble.com, Amazon.com, Diesel ebooks, Borders.com/Kobo, and SonyStyle.com.

Currently, Michael is working on a wholly original fairytale called The Brothers Eek (longer, non-verse). He's looking to self-publish it as an actual hard copy book where 8 will be included as a bonus story.

Snow White Graphic Novel

Snow White: The Graphic Novel. Written by Martin Powell, Illustrated by Erik Valdez Y Alanis


















From the Amazon Product Description:

Once upon a time, an evil queen possessed a powerful mirror. It spoke only the truth. But when the mirror reveals that the queen is no longer the fairest in the land, her heart grows cold. She seeks revenge against a beautiful maiden, Snow White.

This and all images below copyright 2009 Stone Arch Books.

Product Details:

* Reading level: Ages 9-12
* Paperback: 33 pages
* Publisher: Stone Arch Books (January 2009)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 1434213943
* ISBN-13: 978-1434213945

Flash Review:

It's obvious from this blog that I am partial to Walt Disney's interpretation of the Snow White story as well as the Studio's tone of animation artwork from that era. However, I am always open to other versions of the fairytale as well.

This one adds a few new twists such as the Prince (named Marco) being imprisoned by the Evil Queen inside the magic mirror, Snow White being unrelated and unknown to the Queen until the mirror reveals the news about her beauty, and the Dwarfs who live in a cave rather than a cottage.

The full-color illustrations are certainly stylized in the graphic novel approach; the Dwarfs look like some kind of anime morph of elves and aliens. The storytelling is geared for young readers of comic books and unfortunately leaves a little something to be desired in depth and character. Yet, overall the read might be an enjoyable one for the target audience for which it is designed.

More images from the graphic novel available at Google books.