Tintin Forums

I used to own an official edition of Tintin and Alph-Art in English, reproducing Hergé's pencil work with an accompanying English language script done by the same translators who did the original adventures.

Anyone know why this was taken out of print, if it'll ever be back in print, or if it's still available anywhere???

I think this was only printed in a very limited run in English by Sundancer (aka The Tintin Shop, London) so you're unlikely to find a copy of it now. The Tintin Shop did have a few copies left in stock a while ago but I'm sure they're all gone.
However... now that Alph-Art has been reissued in French as a proper part of the Tintin chronology (with extra material), we may well get to see an English translation of that edition in the future.

Thanks! I had no idea there was a new edition, I hope that you're right and it gets translated to English.

I heard on good authority that it's very unlikey for it to be published in English. Moulinsart don't really care anymore about releasing books for the international market. The only hope, is that another publisher will pick it up, or at least republish the old version.

You never know...

P.S. Those books are definitely all gone from The Tintin Shop, but they are getting the new French version in....

I doubt the old version will be republished; it was too expensive to produce, being a book and a booklet put together. The new album is the same format as a standard Tintin edition - hardback A4, 62 pages. The story itself has been given priority, with the original pages shrunk down to fit alongside the text, with some enlarged images used.

It'd be nice to see it in English, but if Moulinsart do indeed hold that opinion of ignoring international sales, then an English edition isn't too likely.

However, it's interesting to note that there have been new foreign language editions authorized by Moulinsart, published by Casterman, which apparently are truer to the original text. So there may be hope on the horizon regarding an English edition of Alph-Art.

Also, Last Gasp of San Francisco released the facsimiles of Soviets, Congo, and America, in black and white, so who knows, maybe they will take up Alph-Art?

I just wrote to Last Gasp and asked if they have any plans to publish the English version of Alph-Art. Here's their response:

We don't have plans for that at this time. As far as our Tintin projects go, we are reprinting Tintin: The Complete Companion, and have forthcoming projects the remaining Tintin Fascimile editions.

BTW, anyone know the availability of the various unauthorised versions that have been completed by other artists?

It's good to see that "The Complete Companion" has been successful enough to warrant a reprint - hopefully this will help convince Moulinsart of the value of the English market. You'd think that Nick Rodwell's background and past involvement in the Tintin Shops would be a deciding factor. I remain optimistic, but we may have a long wait ahead. Until then, I'm happy awaiting the next Last Gasp release...

Hi,

Stop press!!

I just heard from a very reliable source that the new version of Alph-Art is to be published in English!
Apparently Moulinsart had to ask The Tintin Shop in London to send their file copy of the old version of the book because they didn't even have one!
But don't hold your breath, it could be a while before it becomes available...

Chris

That's brilliant ! I have it in French, but it's always a lot nicer to read a book in your own language. I don't suppose much translation will be needed - just the introdution, and the new pages at the end, since they can use the old edition's text (which it seems they're doing, if they're requesting the file copy).

How much further do the new pages take the story?