Step into a world swept by magical winds, inhabited by lovers with cursed destinies, malevolent giants and trolls, and many other wonders drawn from the most exquisite illustrations in publishing history. In this splendid abridged edition, TASCHEN brings to life the most ambitious project of beloved Danish artist Kay Nielsen, one of the greatest children's book illustrators of all time.

The famous collection, first published in 1914, East of the Sun and West of the Moon, gathers stories collected in the mid-19th century by two renowned Norwegian folklorists, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Engebretsen Moe, during their travels across Norway. Nielsen’s illustrated edition is considered a jewel of early 20th-century children’s literature and is highly sought after by art and book collectors worldwide. A signed copy of the first edition sold for the highest price ever achieved for a children’s picture book.

This carefully crafted book presents 10 of the original tales, capturing the sublime details and artistic value of Nielsen’s drawings in their true splendor. It includes 41 illustrations, many of which are enlarged extracts from rare original watercolors. Additionally, three essays, illustrated with a dozen rare and unpublished works by Nielsen, trace the history of Norwegian folk tales, Nielsen’s life and career, as well as the creation of this masterpiece.