cover image The Merchant of Marvels: And the Peddler of Dreams

The Merchant of Marvels: And the Peddler of Dreams

Chronicle Books, Frederic Clement. Chronicle Books, $16.95 (64pp) ISBN 978-0-8118-3294-6

Frederic Clement's The Merchant of Marvels and the Peddler of Dreams (1995), trans. by Emma Cole, the tale of Frederick Knick-Knack and his quest for the perfect birthday gift for the friend who has everything, returns. Creamy, heavyweight pages absorb poetically arranged text alongside photos of a feather in a box, foil-wrapped candies and a tiny drawing of ""three scarlet shrimp from the Outer West Indies."" ( Dec.)