Charles de Lint: Newford, my collection and the cover art

Charles de Lint just posted a note on facebook (yeay! I'm his facebook friend! LOL) on the order of the Newford Stories. It's also on his FAQ on his website, but I thought I would post it here for future reference. Both Linda and I are fans (we are getting matching Crow Girl tattoos) so it makes sense that we have something we can refer back to. Oh, FYI, as well as the website and mailing list, you can keep up to date through Charles' twitter and facebook. His facebook is fun, because he talks about music he is into as well, and if you are anything like me, you admire him for his taste in music as well as for his writing LOL


Order of the Newford Stories

1. Dreams Underfoot (collection)
2. The Dreaming Place (young adult novel)
3. A Whisper To A Scream (originally credited to "Samuel M. Key")
4. I'll Be Watching You (originally credited to "Samuel M. Key")
5. Memory And Dream (novel)
6. The Ivory And The Horn (collection)
7. Trader (novel)
8. Someplace To Be Flying (novel)
9. Moonlight And Vines (collection)
10. Forests Of The Heart
11. The Onion Girl (novel)
12. Seven Wild Sisters (short novel, also available in Tapping the Dream Tree)
13. Tapping the Dream Tree (collection)
14. Spirits in the Wires (novel)
15. Medicine Road (short novel)
16. The Blue Girl (young adult novel)
17. Widdershins (novel)
18. Make a Joyful Noise (chapbook)
19. The Hour Before Dawn (collection)
20. Old Man Crow (chapbook)
21. Little (Grrl) Lost (novel)
22. Promises to Keep (short novel)
23. Dingo (young adult novel)
24. Muse & Reverie (collection)

I have to admit, I haven't read the last couple of stories. I recently bought Mystery of Grace (not a Newford story) but previous to that, the most recent (timeframe-wise, not when I read it) were The Onion Girl and The Blue Girl. Unfortunately, Charles de Lint's books are quite expensive to buy brand new in Australia, and second hand stores only sell the usual culprits (Moonheart, Yarrow, Greenmantle etc).I am gradually filling out my collection of Charles de Lint novels.

My CdL Collection
Of the top of my head I remember that I own:

• Greenmantle
• I'll Be Watching You
• Into The Green
• Memory and Dream
• Moonheart
• Mulengro
• Spiritwalk
• Tapping The Dream Tree
• The Blue Girl
• The Dreaming Place
• The Little Country
• The Mystery of Grace
• Wolf Moon
• Yarrow

I will own them all eventually! I also have a number of anthologies that contain his stories, and the only ones I haven't read are those that have been out of print (and not in the library system) and the newer publications (also not in the system and too pricy to purchase). I will update this list as I get more of his books.

Cover Art
I really admire some of the artwork on the covers of Charles de Lint's novels. Particularly that by John Jude Palencar, Charles Vess, Terri Windling, Jim Hoover, David Bergen and Fletcher Sibthorp - and we can't forget the original Brian Froud illustrations The Wild Wood. I love John Jude Palencar's artwork. They are very atmospheric and beautiful They don't always take on the gritty nature of de Lint's novels, but they do convey the mystery. I think Fletcher Sibthorp's covers best convey the darker side of his covers - a perfect example of this is his cover of Mulengro, where you see the spirits rolling out of the fog that roils around the villain just as it does in the book. I love Charles Vess and Terri Windling's cover art, as it emphasises more of the mythos behind the stories - either the Celtic or the Native American folklore, done in pen, watercolours and washes.

Now onto Brian Froud: sadly there were copyright issues with publishers with The Wild World, so you can't buy the original version of this book any more. It is such a shame, as it is one of the best illustrated books I have ever laid my eyes on. I refuse to buy this book until I can find a Brian Froud version. I hate it when publishers mess shit up like this! It was such a lovely concept! Basically Brian Froud did a number of artworks (I think about 50?) and invited 4 author friends over to choose a selection of them each to write a story about. The results were wonderful! *sigh* stupid publishers! After the first two books in the Faerielands series were publish, Bantam changed its fantasy publishing and the project was discontinued. Because it was with Bantam, other publishers couldn't republish the paintings, so reprints of the stories by de Lint and McKillip have artwork by different artists, as does the now published Snyder; the paperback of Windling's novel has a new Froud artwork on the cover. I am trying to find original copies of Patricia McKillip's "Something Rich and Strange" and Charles de Lint's The Wild Wood, but I won't bother with the Midori Snyder as it hasn't been released with Brian Froud's artwork.

John Jude Palencar

Fletcher Sibthorp

Terri Windling

Jim Hoover