Finding the Labyrinth based books

LABYRINTH: THE PHOTO ALBUM
Details
Author: Rebecca Grand (and numerous goblins)
Publisher: Virgin Books
Year: 1986

This is a very beautiful book which presents the story of Labyrinth with pictures from the movie interspaced with quotes. The bad thing is that it’s very thin and a few pages through, when Sarah enters the Labyrinth, the book takes on a ‘fragmented’ design, with the movie stills framed in irregular, choppy borders. I think this steals from the design of the book and the quality of the photos, but it's still very nice.

This book is also available in a (hard to get) Japanese edition, in Japanese with a hot pink cover. It's exactly the same as the English version though, the only difference being that the paper is of a heavier and lesser quality stock

THE GOBLINS OF LABYRINTH
Details
Author: Brian Froud & Terry Jones
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
Year: 1986

A huge heavy book, full of conceptual designs of about 100 different goblins (some from the movie, the others in hiding in the Labyrinth) by Brian Froud, all faithful reproductions of his ink on parchment original drawings, with Monty style narrative curtesy of Terry Jones. There’s also a generous amount of full colour prints of the Wiseman, Sir Didymus, Toby and a brown-haired girl who was the predecessor of our Sarah. Shame about there being no pics of Jareth, as he himself was originally conceptualised as a muppet (cue thoughts of Sarah dancing with a Big Bird equivalent). If you love Brian Froud's Fantasy art and love Labyrinth, you will need to have this book.

LABYRINTH: THE STORYBOOK BASED ON THE MOVIE (OR 'FILM' WITH THE UK VERSION)
Details
Author: Loiuse Gikow
Illustrator: Bruce McNally
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company (UK version by Purnell)
Year: 1986

Hmm? So if they published an Oz edition it would read 'flick'? An absolutely beautiful and atmospheric children’s book with colourful lush drawings full of intricate details. The story has been adapted very well for a younger audience, keeping it's main themes of love, responsibility and sacrifice. The only let down are the illustrations of Jareth. The problem being not so much that the illustrator made David Bowie look ugly, but that it doesn’t even look like David Bowie. I'm sure a whole generation of kiddies are going to have no end to this once you get your hands on it! You can pop over to my Labyrinth library on this site, to see the whole of the book including all the orginal artwork.

THE NOVEL
Details
Author: ACH Smith
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
Year: 1986

Worth it for the 8 pages of colour pics from the movie and for the sake of getting your hands on some movie memorabilia, as the transcript is unofficially and freely available online. I haven’t actually got a copy of this or been able to borrow one, so I’m not really sure what pictures are inside. Unless of course, anyone wants to volunteer their services to me.

THE MOVIE PROGRAMME
No Publishers details, no IBN number (not listed as a ‘book’ under any data system)

A roughly A4 sized, 24 page souvenir booklet sold at the theatres in Japan when the movie was first released. Looks gorgeous, but is completely in Japanese which is a shame. With my one year’s worth of Japanese studies way back in yr 10, all I can read is David Bowie’s name lol. You can check out all the scans at various places on this website. This item calls for more unconventional search means, as it’s not so much a ‘book’ as a one-off collectors item. Like the Photo Album, it’s mighty thin, but an absolute treat to know that you’re holding the exact same thing that someone who went to see Labyrinth in 1986 did.

Unfortunately, all these books are long out of print and extremely difficult to find. Expect to pay through the (touch) nose! The most expensive is the Goblins Of Labyrinth, which will cost you on an average of US$50! You basically have two search options:

OPTION 1: Search by yourself online. The following are some stores that have had Laby titles in stock in the past. Check back regularly as book titles shift regularly.

[ eBay.com ] (or eBay.com.au, eBay.com.uk etc) -The most popular and extensive auction site online. And the most fast moving and competitive of them all. Depending on potential bidders at the time of item post, you may end up paying too much, or pick up a bargain. Prepare to duel!

[ abebooks.com ] - The world’s largest network of independent booksellers with 22 million titles and over 6700 vendors. You might have to pay a premium, but it sure does beat the uncertainty and heart attack inducing nature of eBay! Last time I checked, there were some Laby items at reasonable prices. Do a search title by title to avoid a billion books about other ‘Labyrinths’

[ bookfinder.com ] - A meta-search engine that scours more than 20 000 online sources for you. Search title by title also for convinience.

[ hollywoodbookcity.com ] - A bookstore that sells entertainment based books. You can also hunt for scripts, vintage magazines, press kits and other goodies. Searching is slow and disorganised, but they are being upgraded.

OPTION 2: Get a bookhunter to search for you. Don't let the word 'bookhunter' intimidate you! It just means a regular second hand book dealer who offers rare book tracking services. I highly recommend this method as these sellers have access to further databases and warehouses not available to the masses. Plus you get face to face service and don’t have to pay postage or risk getting items ruined or lost in the post. The dealer also owes it to you to find a copy of the book in good condition. I got my Photo album through this method. It cost me AUS$76 --- but note that I didn’t have to pay international postage and IMO charges, my copy is in really good condition and I got service with a smile. Just look up the phonebook.

Conceptual drawings from Goblins of Labyrinth
Goblin drawings from Goblins of Labyrinth

Q: Is there any other ways to get hold of the books, I mean this all sounds mighty difficult…
A: But that’s the way it is! No really, it can be quite fun, it’s always exciting to get something in the mail. In answer though, don’t forget to scour your local second hand book stores and here’s a tip. Look up the databases of all the libraries (and university libraries as well - most allow public borrowers, otherwise befriend a student) in your city. Although you don’t get to keep, at least you get to satisfy you curiosity. Handle books with care though, for the next generation to come. They won’t be as lucky as us in having a chance to see David live.

[ I WANT MORE STUFF! ]