Brian Froud's Goblins!

The conceit of renowned fantasy illustrator Froud's latest book (after The Runes of Elfland; Lady Cottington's Faerie Album; Faeries; etc.) is a clever one. The title page announces that, after working on the text and illustrations, Froud and his colleague Berk disappeared, leaving behind the dangerous fruits of their research into the goblin world. In a letter marked with suspicious red scribbles, they beg the publisher not to print their work, but the publisher decides to go ahead and release the book ""as is""--which means that Froud's drawings and Berk's notes appear mussed up by dirty goblin fingerprints and scrawled with indignant goblin commentary. For example, next to Froud's drawing of a very grubby goblin named the Royal Lady Empyreuma Frouzy, the authors' goblin informer writes: ""nonsense this is sardine sallie she olde girrlfriend."" The whole book is pretty delightful, even for--or perhaps especially for--those who couldn't stand Froud's pretty, ethereal faeries.