Book Description
Griffin -- Foolish man. You cannot turn me into a phantom because you are frightened. You do not dismiss a muse at a whim. If you will not join me, then I will come to you. -- Sabine
Sabine was supposed to be imaginary, a friend and lover that Griffin had created to soothe his loneliness. But she threatens to become embodied, to appear on his doorstep, in fact. So he runs.
Griffin & Sabine, the most creative and talked-about bestseller of 1991, left readers on the edge of a precipice. With Sabine's Notebook, they begin -- along with Griffin -- the fall. Once again, the story is told through strangely beautiful postcards and richly decorated letters that must actually be pulled from their envelopes to be read. But this volume is also a sketchbook and diary kept by the possibly unreal Sabine, who is living in Griffin's house in London while he wanders through Europe, North Africa, and Asia, backwards through layers of ancient civilizations -- and of himself.
Filled with her delicately macabre drawings and notations, the notebook adds a darker element of visual intrigue to their complex and mysterious world. For the thousands who finished Griffin & Sabine and asked, "What happened next?," this second volume in the trilogy provides the answers -- but raises new and even more haunting questions of its own.
Visit griffinandsabine.com!.
Customer Reviews:
Surreal Romance & Philately.......2007-07-04
Surreal romance, Philately, amazingly beautiful postcards and a page turner. This is a beautiful gift for your self or someone else. I have all books and the post-cards. Sorry the series ended
Across time and space..........2006-09-03
Griffin and Sabine are located on opposite ends of the earth -- Griffin is a lonely artist in England, while Sabine is a mysterious native of the elusive Sicmon Island chain in the South Pacific. Somehow, these two unique souls manage to find one another via a postal correspondence, and it is this correspondence back and forth which comprises the Griffin and Sabine books. Griffin and Sabine come to realize very quickly that their lives are inextricably bound up with one another, and that their coming together, face to face, is of utmost importance, not only for their own sanity, but possibly for the fate of the very world. Unfortunately, meeting face to face is more difficult than each of them could ever have imagined, and their quest to reach out to one another in a world of smoke and mirrors forms the backbone of these books.
I have loved these books since I first read them several years ago, and I keep coming back to them and rereading them over and over. They are truly able to transport you from Sabines sun-drenched paradaisical island home, to Griffin's rain-soaked isolation, and into other realms that are far less easy to describe. Excellently wrought and wonderfully creative, I encourage anyone with an imagination to read this trilogy: "Griffin and Sabine," "Sabine's Notebook," and finally, "The Golden Mean."
An experience !.......2005-03-29
Reading this book is an exciting experience to read correspondence between two people who seem to touch ones life. Reading this truly does make one want to revifve the lost are of the letter. I can't wait toread the next one in the series.
A continuation of the trilogy of novelty books.......2001-12-21
SABINE'S NOTEBOOK is the second volume of Nick Bantock's trilogy that begins with GRIFFIN AND SABINE and ends with THE GOLDEN MEAN. It continues the correspondence between London artist Griffin Moss and South Seas incubus Sabine Strohem. It's a visually tantalizing book, containing actual envelopes glued to the pages with actual letters inside that can be taken out and read.
By the beginning of SABINE'S NOTEBOOK it has become clear that Sabine is merely a creation of Griffin's imagination. Griffin has received Sabine's notice that she is coming to London (on a card with no stamps...) but afraid of meeting his own hallucination he flees to Ireland, beginning a trip that will take him around the world. The notebook of the title is Sabine's record of Griffin's correspondence as she waits in his house in London awaiting his return. The connection of the story to W.B. Yeat's poem "The Second Coming" becomes much more tangible and a direct quote from the poem brings this volume of the trilogy to a finish.
Like the first book, SABINE'S NOTEBOOK is second-rate literature. Nonetheless, it is still an interesting novelty that is worth reading even though it's really Bantock's amazing images that matter. Considering that one can read the entire trilogy in about half an hour, these books aren't an undue demand on one's time. I tend to believe a young-adult audience would appreciate this books best, as I read the trilogy when I was a teenager and found them much more captivating then I did on a recent rereading.
Makes you want to pick up a postcard and write a friend........1998-11-25
Words can not describe what Nick Bantcock has combined with pictures and postcards. He actually pulls you in as you must open envelopes to read the ongoing correspondence. Buy a bottle of wine, build a fire and join your significant other for a journey that will not leave you disapointed.
Book Description
Griffin: It's good to get in touch with you at last. Could I have one of your fish postcards? I think you were right -- the wine glass has more impact than the cup. --Sabine
But Griffin had never met a woman named Sabine. How did she know him? How did she know his artwork? Who is she? Thus begins the strange and intriguing correspondence of Griffin and Sabine. And since each letter must be pulled from its own envelope, the reader has the delightful, forbidden sensation of reading someone else's mail. Griffin & Sabine is like no other illustrated novel: appealing to the poet and artist in everyone and sure to inspire a renaissance in the fine art of letter-writing, it tells an extraordinary story in an extraordinary way.
Visit griffinandsabine.com!.
Customer Reviews:
How fun!.......2007-07-25
I just purchased this book. It is beautifully written and illustrated. It was fun seeing what I would be reading next whether it be a post card or a letter stuck in an envelope. Even though it does not take long to read, you could spend even longer examining the pictures. It was so intriging reading these letters that I almost felt like a voyer reading them, like it was none of my business. I am glad that after this book being published over 10 years I finally got my hands on it. I am readily waiting to get the next in the series!
Extraordinary masterpiece of literature & art.......2007-03-08
I already had a copy of the book and bought it once again as a gift for a friend since it is both a splendid piece of literature and work of art.
picture perfect.......2007-01-02
Griffin & Sabine is an engaging little art concept book. Nick Bantock presents an eclectic set of drawings, humorously juxtaposed as a correspondence between a post-card maker (Griffin) and his psychic amanuensis (Sabine). The story - told in the form of facimile letters - is forgetable. But the pictures and accompanying detail work are well worth the price of the book.
Across time and space..........2006-09-03
Griffin and Sabine are located on opposite ends of the earth -- Griffin is a lonely artist in England, while Sabine is a mysterious native of the elusive Sicmon Island chain in the South Pacific. Somehow, these two unique souls manage to find one another via a postal correspondence, and it is this correspondence back and forth which comprises the Griffin and Sabine books. Griffin and Sabine come to realize very quickly that their lives are inextricably bound up with one another, and that their coming together, face to face, is of utmost importance, not only for their own sanity, but possibly for the fate of the very world. Unfortunately, meeting face to face is more difficult than each of them could ever have imagined, and their quest to reach out to one another in a world of smoke and mirrors forms the backbone of these books.
I have loved these books since I first read them several years ago, and I keep coming back to them and rereading them over and over. They are truly able to transport you from Sabines sun-drenched paradaisical island home, to Griffin's rain-soaked isolation, and into other realms that are far less easy to describe. Excellently wrought and wonderfully creative, I encourage anyone with an imagination to read this trilogy: "Griffin and Sabine," "Sabine's Notebook," and finally, "The Golden Mean."
gorgeous!.......2006-09-03
An amazing and gorgeous book! When this book was first released, I was a very poor, starving artist student. It was so beautiful I couldn't walk away, so I let myself splurge and bought the first book. It was so compelling that I went back and bought the next two the following day! Warning - once you start reading, you will want all of the books in the series!
Book Description
Alexandria will continue to delight the 3 million readers who fell in love with the epistolary romance of Griffin & Sabine. Awash with gorgeous artwork, the mystery of Griffin Moss and Sabine Strohem now entwines Matthew Sedon, an archaeologist steeped in Egyptian antiquity, and Isabella de Reims, a student in Paris whose vision holds the key to a new reality. Intrigue turns to danger and romance turns to passion as Matthew and Isabella struggle to make sense of a world-and feelings-beyond experience. Only the guidance of Griffin and Sabine, expert navigators of myth and reality, can keep them safe. Author and artist Nick Bantock brings a new sensuality and romance to his vivid dreamscapes and unique visual perspective. Alexandria is a breathtaking new chapter in a saga that has captured hearts, minds, and imaginations the world over.
Visit griffinandsabine.com!
Customer Reviews:
as confused as ever but wanting more.......2007-10-01
After having read and reread all six of these very creative, interesting and unusual books, I still have yet to sort it all out. I have to report they are very "out there" for the person looking for a light read.
Please read them, you will be left wanting more.
Hoping for more.......2004-05-17
I like the novelty and skill in Bantock's work - I like it a lot. It's just that I don't see a lot of his novelty in this second trilogy. In the first series, a man is driven to some unseen fate by correspondence from a mysterious, other-wordly being. In this series, a couple is driven to some unseen fate by correspondence from a mysterious, other-wordly couple.
The format is very evocative. It's a voyeuristic look at the letters and postcards between the dramatis personae. We actually open the envelopes and read their mail. It gives a sense of naughtiness - "Is it OK for me to do this?" It's the same format as in the first series, though. The freshness is off it, it can't be a new experience again.
I would have been a lot happier if this series gave new information. Where is Paolo, or the Sicmon Islands? Who or what is Frolatti, and what is Frolatti's involvement? How does Sabine do - well, I'm not sure what she does.
I like Bantock's layered art (even when it's over-worked) and his fascination with stamps and postmarks. I really do want to see the story of Griffin and Sabine move forward. The tale seems to have stalled, though. Perhaps his success with the original G&S has left Bantock nervous about changing his formula.
The Entire Griffin & Sabine Collection is a gift!.......2004-02-24
These books are themselves, works of art. Not for the obvious reason of a tale well told, but for the delivery of that story as well.By way of personal corresponence, the reader is immediately drawn into the story of Griffin and Sabine, and later, Matthew and Isabella. Each postcard, stamp and letter add a graphic element that ties to the story at one point or another. Reading other's mail is unmistakably fun, but one cannot help but feel protective of these two couples; are they crazy or is someone really trying to bring them harm?
My teenaged daughter introduced them to her fellow bookloving friends at sleepaway camp and they were passed around the cabin,9 girls in all, with nothing harmed or torn when they came back home with her! That's a miracle, but they knew they weren't just reading a book,too. I recommend the entire series whole-heartedly!
Cooling off period.......2003-02-01
This book has the same visual flair as the previous books- it's the narative that seems slack. To be fair, these books are more about feeling and emotion than plot, but nothing seems to happen in this one- I didn't feel it had much focus. It might be time to wrap the plot up in a book or two.
Down fall.......2003-01-15
This was a really great story told in a really cool way but with this last book it almost all gose down hill. What was mistrious is now sappy a qultia. This is the down fall of the a great story.
Amazon.com
With a fanciful combination of postcards and letters, author Nick Bantock takes you on a romantic and suspenseful tour of an imagined world. The Gryphon is the delightful follow-up to the wildly popular Griffin & Sabine trilogy. This sequel doesn't disappoint; it's as quixotic and cloaked in mystery as the trilogy, replete with similarly captivating foldouts and handwritten letters. Each illustration is intricately drawn with special attention paid to the tiniest details, like the faded postmarks on exotic stamps. Old-fashioned letters create an atmosphere of adventure, surrounding you with colorful images of ancient symbols. The correspondence between the four players flies off to real and mythical lands conjuring up dark forces and love affairs. It is impossible not to want to know what happens next. If you were charmed by Griffin and Sabine, then it's absolutely unthinkable to miss The Gryphon. --J.P. Cohen
Book Description
Griffin & Sabine, Sabine's Notebook, and The Golden Mean have sold over 3 million copies worldwide, and spent over 100 weeks on The New York Times best-seller list. At long last, Nick Bantock brings us a new volume in the Griffin and Sabine story. The Gryphon is a tale rich in the artistry, mystery, and surprise that make the original saga so beloved. Although readers will be drawn into the book without ever having read the trilogy, The Gryphon begins to answer the question that fans have been waiting eight years to answer: "What happened to Griffin and Sabine?" As their remarkable fates are gradually revealed, we are introduced to Matthew and Isabella, long-distance lovers who find themselves entwined not only in each other's lives, but also in a perilous and alluring intrigue. The drama literally unfolds from postcard to richly decorated postcard and as provocative letters are pulled from real envelopes. The Gryphon features stunning new imagery, offering glimpses of mythic dreamscapes and surreal creatures as only Nick Bantock could have imagined. For those meeting Griffin and Sabine for the first time, here's an introduction that will have them yearning to explore the earlier volumes. And for those who have already entered the enchanting world of Griffin and Sabine, The Gryphon is a delightful rediscovery of a truly extraordinary correspondence.
Visit griffinandsabine.com!
Customer Reviews:
More than just a book.......2004-02-22
There's a lot to like here. This book opens a series that is sequel to Griffin and Sabine, one of the most imaginative sets I've ever seen.
Like G&S, we see our characters only through their correspondence. This gives a delicious sense of voyeurism, of peeking in on unguarded moments between intimates. The book presents the postcards at standard size, usually with images on one side and text on the other. The letters are separate sheets, in envelopes that are built into the book. This creates a distinctive reading experience - the physical interaction between book and reader is very different from normal turn-the-page, and evokes a sense of personal involvement.
The imagery is rich and layered, in Bantock's signature style. The best of these pictures contain many elements, where each retains a distinct identity within the whole. Sometimes, though, the different components seem overworked and run together, an effect I find murky.
The plot is cryptic and eerie as in G&S, partly because this extends G&S. As in real life, the story moves forward in uneven increments, a step forward by this character, then a step by that one. It holds my attention, but doesn't seem to carry the drama of the original series.
This is a wonderful book and an uncommon experience in reading. Bantock struck sparks in the original Griffin and Sabine series that he tries to recapture here. 'Gryphon' continues the story capably, but lacks the freshness of G&S. Still, I'm looking forward to the next books in this set.
What took him so long!.......2002-02-19
I knew there was more to be written by Bantock than just the third book of G&S trilogy and sure enough after all this time he does it again. However, I was wanting more about Griffin and Sabine and I had hoped the baby picture at the end of the third book was an indication of more about them. Instead, Bantock begins with a new trilogy, with new lovers. But thank God he kept with his unique stlye of writing with letters and intriguing pictures and art work that varies through out the book making him a writer in his own class. His work is excellent and I started reading him years ago when I saw how beautiful his trilogy looked on a book shelf. That has led me to buy all his books including his address book and notecards and now my friends collect his stuff also.
If your not sure you want to read this book or the Griffin and Sabine trilogy than at least pick up the "Venetians Wife" and I guarantee you will change your mind. All of Bantock's books have an unusual theme filled with mystery, some romance and intrigue enough to make me read the books in one sitting. Please give one of his works a try especially if you are bored with the standard form of mystery writing. Bantock's books are a delight not only to read but to look at, even if you don't like this type of reading. BEWARE OF ALL THE CLUES AND TWIST IN HIS BOOKS.
Missed hearing from Griffin and Sabine.......2002-02-12
Once again, as he did in his Griffin and Sabine trilogy, Nick Bantock combines, in a most clever manner, both mystical thoughts and ideas using letters and postcards in his newest book, The Gryphon. With wonderful illustrations of stamps from far away places and beauiful calligraphy on notes which fold out from actual envelopes, the author engages his readers with further tales about Griffin and Sabine. While this book is a bit darker than his others and also engages two more characters in the search for Griffin and Sabine, overall this title is a welcome addition to the first three books which were so very unique when they were first published.
Now, after almost a decade's absence from the literary scene, its nice to know that Griffin and Sabine are alive and well. But if we still don't know exactly where they are in the world, one wonders if Mr. Bantock is having too much fun writing these books to ever let us find out.
Gorgeous artwork, but not as good as first G&S trilogy.......2002-01-19
I am happy to add this to my Griffin and Sabine collection, although the storyline isn't as strong as the first trilogy. The ending was way too abrupt. I have to hand it to Bantock, though -He makes you eager to get your hands on the next book in the series! There's still nothing else like his books on the market, so I continue to enjoy the originality of these books.
Gripping but... open-ended.......2001-12-30
This was a book that I literally fell into. I ended up plopping on the floor next to the shelf to read the whole thing in one sitting. I was enchanted by the intrigue, but frustrated in the same way I would be in real life, because nothing is really revealed in this book. It rather felt transitional. But I closed the book feeling honored to have read the secret correspondances that continue Sabine and Griffin's adventures.
If you are following the clues in this entire story, I don't recommend skipping this book. It is yet another step and that in itself is a revelation. We are reading someone else's private mail in this series and yet, we are trying to piece the legends together... but its going as slowly as life does. So, instead of looking for a payoff (like any kind of an ending), enjoy the process, the deliciously rich artwork will take you off to exotic lands and you will feel well-traveled and energized at the end of the book. That is, if you have parked your disbelief at the door before leafing through The Gryphon.
Book Description
Sabine -- I was sure I understood. Yet you were not here when I returned and there was no sign that you ever had been here.... Today comes your card saying you were in this house for three days after my return.?
I am bewildered.?
I need you badly.?
-- Griffin?
?In this final volume of the phenomenal, best-selling trilogy begun with Griffin & Sabine and continued in Sabine's Notebook, the mystery of the two artists deepens, their questions grow more urgent. New obstacles (including a sinister intruder) test the tenacity of their passion, and in each letter or postcard, painting and prose are even more richly intertwined. Destined to be the most sought after novel of the year, The Golden Mean builds toward a powerful conclusion that will satisfy the millions of readers already entranced by the spirited, imaginative, enigmatic union of Griffin and Sabine.
?With over 50 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and one million copies in print, the first two volumes of this unique trilogy have captured the imagination of readers and reviewers across the country.?
Visit griffinandsabine.com!
Customer Reviews:
The final culmination of a transcendent correspondence.......2006-09-03
Griffin and Sabine are located on opposite ends of the earth -- Griffin is a lonely artist in England, while Sabine is a mysterious native of the elusive Sicmon Island chain in the South Pacific. Somehow, these two unique souls manage to find one another via a postal correspondence, and it is this correspondence back and forth which comprises the Griffin and Sabine books. Griffin and Sabine come to realize very quickly that their lives are inextricably bound up with one another, and that their coming together, face to face, is of utmost importance, not only for their own sanity, but possibly for the fate of the very world. Unfortunately, meeting face to face is more difficult than each of them could ever have imagined, and their quest to reach out to one another in a world of smoke and mirrors forms the backbone of these books.
I have loved these books since I first read them several years ago, and I keep coming back to them and rereading them over and over. They are truly able to transport you from Sabines sun-drenched paradaisical island home, to Griffin's rain-soaked isolation, and into other realms that are far less easy to describe. Excellently wrought and wonderfully creative, I encourage anyone with an imagination to read this trilogy: "Griffin and Sabine," "Sabine's Notebook," and finally, "The Golden Mean."
The Characters Will Grab You and Not Let Go.......2003-11-26
"The Golden Mean" is the best of the three books, in my humble opinion. The ending is satisfying and still somehow mysterious. Bantock doesn't spoon-feed his readers information, he seems to want to encourage them to make up their own minds about the nature of Griffin and Sabine's relationship, What It All Means, etc. Altogether, it's a wonderful, nerve-wracking book.
Oh..........2001-12-21
In some ways I felt like this series wrapped up too neatly, and in other ways I felt like it should have been more wrapped up. Oh well. Still a magnificent work of art combined with a compellings and intruiging story.
This will get you thinking.......2001-09-30
The hauntingly beautiful writings, will keep you returning to this book (and the previous two) to search for the meaning.
Amazingly enthraling and engaging, wonderfully illustrated........1999-04-08
Nick Bantock needs to be congratulated for his amazing work in the Griffin and Sabine triology. His superb illustrations bring an intriguing story to life. Watching the correspondence of Griffin and Sabine unfold in these wonderful books is like watching a private moment unfold from the window. As you peak in at these two wonderfully real characters you not only can't wait to turn each page to see what is said but what is drawn. The style of these books was so well done they deserve the highest recognition. The realism used to create actual letters and postcards between Griffin and Sabine for the reader to take out and hold only adds to this amazing experience.
Product Description
Hardcover in Dustjacket ... First Edition ... 2nd Printing ... Published by Raincoast Publishing, Vancouver ...
Books:
- Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter (Hinges of History)
- Saints Behaving Badly: The Cutthroats, Crooks, Trollops, Con Men, and Devil-Worshippers Who Became Saints
- Salem's Lot
- Saving Faith
- Sharpe's Company (Richard Sharpe's Adventure Series #13)
- Smitten
- Snow Country
- Son of a Preacher Man: My Search for Grace in the Shadows
- Speaking Spanish Like a Native
- The Best American Short Stories 2006 (The Best American Series)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Angel Customers and Demon Customers: Discover Which is Which and Turbo-Charge Your Stock
- The Harriet Lane Handbook: A Manual for Pediatric House Officers, 17th Edition
- Straight Lick: The Cinema of Oscar Micheaux
- Moral Imagination and Management Decision-Making
- The Art of Living: The Classic Manual on Virtue, Happiness, and Effectiveness
- The Key to The Name of the Rose: Including Translations of All Non-English Passages
- The Language of Threads: A Novel
- Accountant's Handbook of Formulas and Tables
- Repeated Games with Incomplete Information
- Collected Stories of Colette
Modern
| Schools, Periods & Styles
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Griffin & Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence
The Golden Mean: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Concludes
Alexandria: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Unfolds
The Gryphon: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Is Rediscovered
The Morning Star
