For decades, the Russian Redwall (Рэдволл - Брайан Джейкс) book series artwork has enamored Redwall fans across the globe. The illustrations inside and outside of these particular editions of the novels always seemed to capture the heart of the stories. You may recall that last year, the Redwall Wiki highlighted the Russian editions of the Castaways of the Flying Dutchman.
At long last, the Redwall Wiki Library has acquired the Russian Redwall books. All of them. There are 30 in total, and hunting them down was quite the process. We're confident this is the first time that all 30 are together on American soil, as well as the first time that every Russian hardcover, UK hardcover, and U.S. hardcover have been unified in the U.S.A. This is the first time they've all been photographed together, too.
Of interest, there are more editions of Russian hardcovers than there are editions of UK and U.S. hardcovers!
Like so many older Redwall items, the Russian Redwall books have been out of print for years. There are three different collections, and each were published during different decades. We're going to explore them all now.
The 1990s Russian Redwall Books
From 1997 - 1998, the first eight books of the Redwall series were published in Russia. These include Redwall, Mossflower, Mattimeo, Mariel of Redwall, Salamandastron, Martin the Warrior, and The Bellmaker.
I've always enjoyed the cover artwork on this older, first collection. They have a retro feel, something old school.
These books contain the original maps from the UK/U.S. editions, however there are no other interior illustrations, only text.
The 2000s Russian Redwall Books
These are the editions that truly captured the attention of Redwall fans. With cover artwork from Anton Lomaev and illustrations from many others, it's obvious why these editions are so special. From 2002 until 2008, the first 19 Redwall novels were published, which is every book up through Eulalia!.
The front and back cover flaps contain completely original Redwall maps, in color. Each chapter heading received its own original black-and-white illustration. And in some cases, full page illustrations illuminate the story.
As Redwall is about to step onto the international stage in a brand new way, we decided to highlight some of its illustrations:
Matthias meeting Captain Snow, and Matthias battling Asmodeus.
And here's the wonderful map from Rakkety Tam, and a look at Rakkety Tam MacBurl battling Gulo the Savage.
The 2010s Russian Redwall Books
Once again, an effort to publish the Redwall novels began in earnest in the early 2010s. Redwall, Mossflower, and Mattimeo were published from 2014 - 2015 with exciting new cover artwork from Victoria Timofeeva. They also had different maps inside. However, like their 90s counterparts, there were no other interior illustrations. We're not clear why publication was limited to just these three books, but the cover artwork is phenomenal.
We hope you enjoyed these books as much as we do!
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