Fans of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory might be familiar with a little known chapter about the Vanilla Fudge Room. But probably not. Previously unpublished, the tale of great hunks, loads and wagons full of pale chocolate goop only recently appeared in The Gaurdian, courtesy of author Roald Dahl himself. Before that, the chapter dubbed "Fudge Mountain" was merely part of an early draft of Dahl's beloved book. It hadn't seen the light of day since 1964.
Now, Sotheby's is giving diehard Dahl-ites another treat. The auction house is showcasing rare illustrations by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory artist, Quentin Blake. The images, compiled in a single, reworked copy of the book, imagine a fictional universe in which vanilla fudge mountains really could exist. The sale of the lone copy -- "the only copy of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with specially added Vanilla Fudge" -- will take place during "First Editions: Redrawn," an auction of annotated first edition books from some of the world’s greatest-living illustrators.
Blake is just one of the famous illustrators up for sale, with all proceeds going to the House of Illustration, a gallery and education space dedicated to emerging and established artists. Copies of works by The Snowman illustrator Raymond Briggs, A Bear Called Paddington author Michael Bond, and The Tiger Who Came to Tea illustrator Judith Kerr are also heading to the London auction block. Thirty eighty titles in total are expected to fetch prices starting at £200 ($310).
In the introduction to the Sotheby's catalogue, Blake commented on the impressive variety of the sale: "Not the least striking aspect of this collection is the way that it demonstrates the range of possibilities of illustration from reportage to caricature to fantasy and beyond." Besides children's book illustrators, Gerald Scarfe offered two full-page illustrations for The Making of Pink Floyd The Wall, Linda Kitson added eight pages of sketches to her visual diary of the Falklands War, and "Monty Python" icon Terry Gilliam created a self-portrait for Animations of Mortality.
"First Editions: Redrawn" will be held on December 8, 2014 at Sotheby’s London. Check out a preview of the sale below.
