Barnes & Noble Leatherbound: Illustrated Children’s Collectible Classics
Barnes & Noble Leatherbound Children's Illustrated Collectible Classics
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Introduction
This delightful series of children’s classics features unabridged text, with color reproductions of the illustrations that accompanied the book’s historical first printing. Most of these illustrations are drawn from the period known as the ‘golden age’ of illustration and are really lovely. Bright cover designs are by a variety of highly sought after cover illustrators and bring a contemporary flair to a classic book. The illustrations are not the most crisp reproductions, but for the price they are a wonderful addition to the bookshelf.
18 of the titles in this series were also included in the earlier Barnes & Noble Rainbow Classics series, with the same internals but different cover designs. Or, if you are looking for other books in a similar design, check out the Guide to collecting Barnes & Noble Collectible Editions.
FAQ
What is the binding made of?
The pretty cover designs are printed directly onto brightly hued (bonded) leather, and they feature embossed foil finishes, decorative end papers and gilt edged pages.
How many books in the series?
25 titles in this series have been released between 2013 to 2018. 18 of the titles in this series were also included in the earlier Barnes & Noble Rainbow Classics series, with the same internals but different cover designs.
Are any of the books valuable?
The Complete List of Barnes & Noble Children's Illustrated Collectable Classics
Aladdin and the Arabian Nights illustrated by René Bull
20 tales.
→ Buy from B&N | Amazon | Abes | Waterstones | Blackwells
ISBN 9781435166141, 02/23/2018
352p. 6.30(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.00(d). OP$10.
Cover design by Charles&Thorn.
Aesop’s Fables by Aesop, illustrated by Arthur Rackham, Walter Crane, and Ernest Griset.
→ Buy from B&N | Amazon | Abes | Waterstones | Blackwells
ISBN 9781435163829, 08/30/2017
240p. 6.30(w) x 7.80(h) x 0.80(d). OP$10.
Cover design by Charles&Thorn.
Heidi by Johanna Spyri, illustrated by Jessie Willcox Smith
→ Buy from B&N | Amazon | Abes | Waterstones | Blackwells
ISBN 9781435144668, 07/28/2017
344p. 6.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.00(d). OP$10.
Cover art by Flora Waycott.
Floral Collection
A Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne, illustrated by Édouard Rio
→ Buy from B&N | Amazon | Abes | Waterstones | Blackwells
ISBN 9781435144736, 07/24/2017
384p. 6.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.10(d). OP$10.
The Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang, illustrated by Henry J. Ford & G. P. Jacomb Hood
[*Reissue of 2013 edition with a new cover design.]
→ Buy from B&N | Amazon | Abes | Waterstones | Blackwells
ISBN 9781435162174, 05/29/2017
440p. 6.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.10(d). OP$10.
Cover illustration by Vartan Ter-Avanesyan, cover design by David Ter-Avanesyan, inset illustration by Arthur Rackham.
The Little Mermaid and Other Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen, illustrated by W. Heath Robinson
A selection of 17 tales illustrated by Heath Robinson.
→ Buy from B&N | Amazon | Abes | Waterstones | Blackwells
ISBN 9781435163683, 10/05/2016
320p. 6.30(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.10(d). OP$10.
Cover art by Kelly Thorn.
Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss, illustrated by Thomas Heath Robinson
[*Reissue of 2011/2012 edition with a new cover design.]
→ Buy from B&N | Amazon | Abes | Waterstones | Blackwells
ISBN 9781435162198, 08/22/2016
544p. 6.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.40(d). OP$10.
Cover design by John Hendrix.
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood retold and illustrated by Howard Pyle
→ Buy from B&N | Amazon | Abes | Waterstones | Book Depository
ISBN 9781435144743, 07/16/2016
456p. 6.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.80(d). OP$10.
Cover design by Charles&Thorn.
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by N. C. Wyeth
[*Reissue of 2011/2012 edition with a new cover design.]
→ Buy from B&N | Amazon | Abes | Waterstones | Blackwells
ISBN 9781435160644, 06/27/2016
272p. 6.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.00(d). OP$10.
Cover art by Jim Tierney.
The Story of King Arthur and His Knights retold and illustrated by Howard Pyle
[*Reissue of 2011/2012 edition with a new cover design.]
→ Buy from B&N | Amazon | Abes | Waterstones | Blackwells
ISBN 9781435162112, 06/01/2016
456p. 6.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.00(d). OP$10.
Cover design by Charles&Thorn.
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne, illustrated by Milo Winter
[*Reissue of 2012 edition with a new cover design.]
→ Buy from B&N | Amazon | Abes | Waterstones | Blackwells
ISBN 9781435162150, 05/27/2016
480p. 6.50(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.20(d). OP$10.
Cover design by Bethan Janine Westran.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle, illustrated by Sidney Paget
7 short stories and the novel The Hound of the Baskervilles.
[*Reissue of 2014 edition with a new cover design.]
→ Buy from B&N | Amazon | Abes | Waterstones | Blackwells
ISBN 9781435162051, 04/04/2016
424p. 6.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.10(d). OP$10.
Cover design by Spencer Charles.
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, illustrated by Charles Robinson
[*Reissue of 2011/2012 edition with a new cover design.]
→ Buy from B&N | Amazon | Abes | Waterstones | Blackwells
ISBN 9781435158184, 07/03/2015
304p. 6.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.80(d). OP$10.
Cover art by Flora Waycott.
Floral Collection
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll, illustrated by John Tenniel
[*Reissue of 2014 edition with a different cover design.]
→ Buy from B&N | Amazon | Abes | Waterstones | Blackwells
ISBN 9781435160736, 07/03/2015
296p. 6.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.00(d). OP$10.
Cover design by Arthur Burlingame/Fractured Pixels.
Greek Myths: A Wonder Book for Boys and Girls by Nathaniel Hawthorne, illustrated by Walter Crane
[*Reissue of 2013 edition with a new cover design.]
→ Buy from B&N | Amazon | Abes | Waterstones | Blackwells
ISBN 9781435158146, 07/03/2015
216p. 6.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.80(d). OP$10.
Cover art by Arthur Burlingame/Fractured Pixels.
ISBN 9781435158160, 06/05/2015
200p. 6.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.80(d). OP$10.
Cover art by James Madsen, border by Fractured Pixels.
ISBN 9781435158153, 06/05/2015
352p. 6.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.00(d). OP$10.
Cover design by Danielle Deschenes, cover engraving by Eugene George Klimsch.
Peter Pan by James Barrie, illustrated by F. D. Bedford
(Also in Rainbow Classics)
→ Buy from B&N | Amazon | Abes | Blackwells
ISBN 9781435154704, 09/15/2014
200p. 6.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.80(d). OP$10.
Cover illustration by Danielle Deschenes, cover art by Superstock, cover design by Patrice Kaplan.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, illustrated by W. W. Denslow
[*Reissue of the 2012 edition with a new cover design.]
→ Buy from B&N | Amazon | Abes | Waterstones
ISBN 9781435147614, 08/29/2013
232p. 6.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.80(d). OP$10.
Cover art by Kate Forrester, cover design by Jo Obarowski.
3 Comments
Emily · 22 January 2025 at 11:16 am
Hi! I noticed you said that all these books were unabridged but I also noticed that both the books by Howard Plye said retold. Does that mean they aren’t the actual versions that were written by Howard Plye? I’m asking because I loved the Howard Plye version of Robin Hood and they recently got rid of it at my library so I was thinking about buying the B and N version, but I only want it if it is the original text written by Howard Plye. This is really important to me so I would be unbelievably thankful if you answered me back.
Daisy · 22 January 2025 at 12:47 pm
It’s an unabridged version of Howard Pyle’s retelling. Hope that makes sense – so yes, the B&N book is the version written by Howard Pyle over a hundred years ago, but Pyle’s version itself was a retelling for children of other classics (e.g. the King Arthur book draws on Malory’s Morte d’Arthur, and his Robin Hood tales are drawn from two older ballads, Robin Hood’s Progress to Nottingham, and Robin Hood and Little John.)
Hope that helps!
Dx
Emily · 22 January 2025 at 1:23 pm
Yes, that does make sense thank you for taking the time to awnser me back 🙂