ONCE UPON A DREAM: Opening the Box of Delights

"In my Box are such delights..."

I have loved John Masefield's The Box of Delights since childhood. I can remember being gripped by the TV adaptation in the 1980s and my brother bought me the book as a surprise, which I still have.  It's the TV tie-in paperback, so the pages are yellowed and it is quite fragile, being almost 40 years old!  So while I will always keep the edition my brother bought for me when I was 10, I was ready for a new reading copy of the book.

I got the new hardcover version from Harper Collins. It is a lovely navy blue and gold book and it would be a nice replacement for my old, fragile copy, but it is unfortunately illustrated by Quentin Blake.  I don't like his artwork. I think his line drawings are a chaotic mess and I wish they had chosen a different artist. This could have been a stunning book, had they chosen the right illustrator and made the illustrations colour, rather than black and white. So I'm not sure if I will keep this copy or send it back, because I don't love it, but maybe it will do as a space holder until I discover an edition that I truly like. I'm still gutted that I missed out on the dulology from the Folio Society a few years ago, as that version was just beautiful, with a slip case, gorgeous cover and full colour plate illustrations. Sadly, they don't produce them anymore, so my quest for the perfect edition continues.

I did find a matching hardcover set of The Box of Delights and The Midnight Folk which I have never read, on Amazon.  They are vintage books, so I'll need to see what condition they are in when they arrive, but hopefully they will be lovely. Then I'll decide which to keep and which to send back, as obviously I don't need three copies of the same book!

During my quest for the novel however, I also discovered a couple of other gems, both based on The Box of Delights.  The first is this stunning book called Opening The Box of Delights. This is in part, a biography of the author John Masefield, and also a commemorative volume celebrating his most famous children's book, and all the adaptations that have been produced over the years.  It has details of Masefield's life during the war, his early work and his time as Poet Laureate. I like that the book features many photographs of Masefield's early drafts and hand written manuscripts and maps etc. It really gives an insight into him as an author and you get a feel for his writing process. 

The book also runs through all the different artists who have illustrated The Box of Delights over the years, including Masefield's own daughter Judith, plus it goes on to discuss all the different mediums in which the story has been told, from dance, theatre, radio and the TV series which got me hooked on the book in the first place. It goes into quite a bit of background detail about this series, even exploring how the beautiful soundtrack was made and what the musical influences were behind it. I have learnt so much from this book and I'm so happy that I discovered it. 

I have both the DVD series and the soundtrack CD, so it is fascinating to learn more about what went into this classic adaptation that many of us know from childhood. I highly recommend the CD as it is very magical - the perfect music to play in the background when you are writing, baking, pottering or crafting.  I also have the collectors edition soundtrack on vinyl as well, which is very, very special, so there is that option too, if you prefer records to CDs.  

The final item I bought was the BBC Radio 4 dramatization, which is three hours long and plays out across three CDs. This isn't just an audio book version on CD - rather it is a full cast of actors, staging the book as a radio play.  I've never heard it before so I plan to listen to one CD a night, while I'm snuggled into bed, allowing the radio play to whisk me away to a snowy winter when the wolves are running! 

I have been enchanted by the magic of The Box of Delights for almost 40 years.  I enjoy revisiting it every winter in one form or another. I love that it has lots of pagan undertones, featuring characters such as Herne the Hunter - I think Kay's adventures with Herne are my favourite aspects of the novel. I love that it is set at Christmas time, on snowy winter's nights, that it has the cosyness of enchanted log fires and hot possets in bed, of danger and courage and magic. I love that it is set in the past, when boys wore short trousers and school caps, and women wore stoles, hats and evening gloves. It's all so charming and it has fired my imagination for many, many years!

Whether you are an avid Box of Delights fan, or the story is new to you, winter is the ideal time to indulge in this atmospheric, snowy fantasy. There are so many ways that you can enjoy it too - read the book, watch the TV series, listen to the soundtrack or the radio play, or pick up Opening the Box of Delights to learn more about this fascinating author and his magical world. 

Grab a cup of cocoa or a hot posset, a festive winter treat, curl up under a blanket with The Box of Delights and before you know it, you will be spending this Sunday evening living a boy's adventure tale! That's what I will be doing tonight. And remember...If you see Someone, say Someone's safe! 

BB Marie x