“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” book published by Hachette in 1938

To coincide with the film’s original release in 1938, Hachette Editions won the contract to publish the books in France, and several were published that year. One of the most important of these simply bears the title of the film, and tells the story with illustrations over 48 pages. A dust jacket reproducing the cover protects the book (23×28.5 cm), and on the flaps are advertisements for titles available in the “Hop-là”, “Mickey” and “Silly Symphonies” collections, which include Snow White. This collection will soon be joined by Pinocchio, Dumbo, Bambi and other titles.

On top of the dust jacket is a banner on white paper with the words “An album to read, a film to see” written in red.

No information is given as to the identity of the author of the text, also found in the book “Blanche neige et ses amis les bêtes”, but the book was printed by M. Déchaux, Paris 12e. The book was promoted in the 1939 “étrennes” catalogs. According to the one published for the “Aux Dames de France” store in Marseille, the book was sold for 15 francs. Numerous reprints have appeared over the years, and it’s not uncommon to find handwritten post-war references inside the pages. The book has also been translated abroad, for example in Portugal.

Although heavily inspired by studio drawings, the illustrations seem to have been made specifically for this book, although no artist, once again, is credited. The book alternates between color and black-and-white images, probably to encourage young readers to color them in, as they have done on many of the second-hand copies available today.