Tove Jansson’s first book for adults drew on her childhood memories to capture afresh the enchantments and fears of growing up in Helsinki in the 1910s and 20s. Described as both a memoir and ‘a book of superb stories’ by Ali Smith, Jansson’s startlingly evocative prose offers a glimpse of the mysteries of winter ice, the bonhomie of balalaika parties, and the vastness of Christmas viewed from beneath the tree.

Drawn from youth and older age, and spanning most of the twentieth century, this newly translated selection provides a thrilling showcase of the great Finnish writer’s prose, scattered with insights and home truths. It has been selected and is introduced by Ali Smith, and there are afterwords by Philip Pullman, Esther Freud and Frank Cottrell Boyce. The Winter Book features thirteen stories from Tove Jansson’s first book for adults, The Sculptor’s Daughter (1968) along with seven of her most cherished later stories (from 1971 to 1996), translated into English and published here for the first time.

Meet the Moomins - all 8 magical adventures relaunched in a beautiful new package. It all begins on a hot day in June, and a volcano dropping black ash on Moominmamma's washing. A crack appears in the ground, and Moomintroll's toothbrush slips straight down into it! When a great flood wave comes crashing through Moomin Valley, the Moomins find themselves in a brand new home…

Moomins always sleep through the winter - or they did until the year Moomintroll woke up and found he couldn't go back to sleep again. All the clocks had stopped, there was nothing to eat and no one to talk to at home, so he went out - straight into the first snowdrift he had ever seen. The valley wasn't green any more, it was white and silent and very scary. But then Moomintroll spied some tracks in the snow and decided to follow them. Maybe he wasn't the only one awake in Moominvalley after all?

In 1961, at the request of her Italian Publisher, Tove Jansson created a unique new edition of Moominland Midwinter, the tale in which Moomin wakes from hibernation to contend all on his own with the mysterious new world of winter. The text and internal line drawings of this much loved story were unchanged, but she added a beautiful new cover illustration and seven glorious full-page colour illustrations plus a colour panorama. It was the only Moomin title that she reworked in this way and became a prized item for fans and collectors. For the first time, this edition will now be available for Moomin fans in the UK.

Moomins sleep through the winter – or they did until the year Moomintroll woke up … The Moomins, in case you didn’t know, are kind, philosophical creatures with velvety fur and smooth round snouts, who live in a tall blue house in a beautiful woodland valley, beside the sea. They love the sunshine and sleep all through the winter months, waking up when spring arrives. Except one year when Moomintroll accidentally awakes and nds himself stranded and alone in a mysterious world blanketed with snow. In Moominland Midwinter we follow Moomin as he overcomes his amazement and isolation and, with the help of the wise Too-ticky and the fearless Little My, begins to explore the glittering new landscape.

Floating teacups, a prison break and a theatre cast adrift…it’s Moominsummer Madness! The Moomins, in case you didn’t know, are kind, philosophical creatures with velvety fur and smooth round snouts, who live in a tall blue house in a beautiful woodland valley beside the sea. One summer a grumbling volcano causes Moominvalley to flood, forcing the Moomins to leave their beloved home and find refuge on a floating theatre. When this casts adrift, leaving Moomin, the Snorkmaiden and Little My marooned on land, Moominsummer Madness ensues. Will they all be reunited before the final curtain? Moominsummer Madness, the fourth novel in the Moomin series, was published in 1954. It has remained in print for over sixty years, appearing in more than fifty languages.

Aunt Gerda – the good listener – fears the encroaching forgetfulness of old age. Her solution is to create an artwork that will record and, inevitably, betray the secrets long confided in her. So begins Jansson’s short story debut, a tour de force of scalpel-sharp narration that takes us from a disquieting homage to the artist Edward Gorey, to perfect evocations of childhood innocence and recklessness, to a city ravaged by storms, or the slow halting thaw of spring. These stories are gifts of originality and depth. The Finnish-Swedish writer and artist Tove Jansson achieved worldwide fame as the creator of the Moomin stories, written between 1945 and 1970 and still in print in more than twenty languages. However, the Moomins were only a part of her prolific output. Already admired in Nordic art circles as a painter, cartoonist and illustrator, she would go on to write a series of classic and acclaimed novels and short stories. The Listener, translated here for the first time into English, was Jansson’s debut short story collection, written in 1970.

Cet hiver, a Vasterby, la vie est rythmee par la tempete de neige qui n’en finit pas, la construction du chantier naval et l’ouverture de l’unique epicerie du village. Katri semble se satisfaire de son quotidien, qu’elle partage entre son metier de comptable et son frere Mats adore. Jusqu’au jour ou elle rencontre Anna Aemelin, une celebre illustratrice de livres pour enfants decidee a finir ses jours retiree de la societe. Lentement, Katri s’immisce dans sa vie… Mais son devouement est-il sincere ? J’ai adore ce livre. […] Les personnages me hantent encore. Ruth Rendell. Il y a des livres dont les pages s’ouvrent dans notre memoire comme les petales d’une fleur etrange. L’Honnete Tricheuse est de ceux-la. Hubert Nyssen (editions Actes Sud).

Poor little chap! He had been turned into a very strange animal indeed… Although they're small, fat and shy creatures, Moomins have the most amazing adventures. It all begins when Moominpappa tries on a magic hat that makes exciting and funny things happen... Finn Family Moomintroll is the best-loved book in the cult classic Moomin series by Tove Jansson. A must-read for both children and adults. Tove Jansson was born in Finland in 1914. She began her career as a cartoonist and went on to write and illustrate many books for adults and children. She drew her first Moomin in the 1930s, just for fun, and in 1945 he became a character in a children's story. Tove became world-famous for her Moomin books, which began with The Moomins and the Great Flood, closely followed by Comet in Moominland and Finn Family Moomintroll.

Poor little chap! He had been turned into a very strange animal indeed . . . Although they're small, fat and shy creatures, Moomins have the most amazing adventures. It all begins when Moominpappa tries on a magic hat that makes exciting and funny things happen . . . Finn Family Moomintroll is the best-loved book in the cult classic Moomin series by Tove Jansson. A must-read for both children and adults.

The first Moomin novel. A comet is speeding towards Earth and nobody knows what to do! Will it destroy everything and everyone? Moomintroll decides to find out. So, with Sniff, he sets out on an expedition to ask the Professor if a comet is really on its way to destroy the Earth.

Moominpappa is feeling at a loss. He has no idea what to do with himself - it seems everything has already been done! So he takes his family off to start a new life in a lighthouse on a tiny, rocky island far out to sea. It's rather lonely at first, but it isn't long before the Moomins discover some funny and surprising new things about themselves.

'They can't have moved away without saying a word!' Winter is coming, and the Fillyjonk, the Hemulen, Toft, and Mymble, are all waiting in Moominvalley to see the Moomins return home. Winter doesn't seem right without them...

If you found a tiny golden dragon with green paws, would you know what to do with it? Moomintroll thinks he does, but when he takes his new-found pet home, things don't quite work out as planned. And suppose Too-ticky brought you an invisible child, would you know how to make her visible again? Meet new and delightful characters and re-encounter old friends, such as Snufkin and Little My in this entertaining collection of nine stories about the trials and tribulations of the inhabitants of Moominvalley. There are some new characters to meet, such as the Fillyjonk and the Hattifatteners, as well as old friends, namely Snufkin and Little My - and not to mention dear Moominpappa, Moominmamma and Moomintroll of course!

The rich seam that is Janssons adult prose continues with this penultimate collection of short stories, written in her seventies at the height of her Moomin fame and translated into English for the first time. In these light-footed, beautifully crafted yet disquieting stories, Jansson tells of discomfiting encounters, unlooked for connections and moments of isolation that span generations and decades. Letters From Klara proves yet again her mastery of this literary form.