Comparing “The Book About Moomin, Mymble and Little My”; Old vs. New

I wanted to share something really cool! A client at my work found out that I love the Moomins, so she brought these for me. The 1953 version is hers; it was given to her by a Finnish sea captain when she and her brother were children. The 2017 version was a gift for me! With her permission, I took pictures of each page to show the differences between the two.

It’s interesting to see the translation changes! The 1953 copy was released before barcodes were used. Also, it’s hard to tell sometimes, but some parts of the art have been redrawn or recolored. Every page in the 1953 book featured Tove Jansson’s signature hidden somewhere in the artwork, while her signature is missing from many (not all) pages in the 2017 book. Also, some of the cut-out alignments are slightly different. It’s easy to see on certain pages, like where Mymble’s hair bun is cut off (page 8), whereas it’s pictured whole in the original.

It’s clear to see just how loved her book was, and I can imagine it was read and looked through over and over again. I was grateful to have the opportunity to compare these, and I’m happy I’m able to share them here, too!