Red Rackham's Treasure

Seriously this is the biggest book I have even seen, read or owned! ( This review is of the very large edition) This book is unusually large, close to *Twice* the size of the original standard(large) sized editions. Beautifully bound, and very sturdy book. The pages inside are crispy matt-textured, bringing out the colors and ink drawings vividly. The print is sharp, and appears original size.(I expected it to be some what magnified, but perhaps this was the size the drawings were made originally by the artists[yes there were more than Herge..notabale among them being Edward Jacobs who did those splendid renderings of ships, planes and other realistic props] and shrunk for print in the earlier editions). The story of course is one of the best, and a favorite of many, including me. The thrilling drama, with colorful events, the long sea voyage, and eventual climax of the treasure are the hallmark of Herge, the master story teller. The reason why close to quarter billion copies of his works have been sold since first published. My personal opinion of this edition is, it is perhaps similar to several curious artifacts that appear in the adventure series itself.. like the model sailboat, Arumbaya statue, the hull of the Unicorn and so on. A great book to have, hold and feel (and perhaps take a deep breath, draw in the fresh smell and its Ok if you plant a kiss too). As far as this being a book to be read, it is surprisingly very comfortable to hold and read, in spite of the size!. The large font size is so easy on the eyes, and so are the gorgeous drawings..coming to life in life size! If you have grown on Tintin, then there is no choice but to buy this. I *had* to do it, in spite of an embargo on adding to my unmanageable collection of books. And what a jewel in the crown this is!

In "Red Rackham's Treasure", a sequel to "The Secret of the Unicorn," our intrepid boy reporter Tintin; his faithful companion Snowy; his dissolute comrade, Captain Haddock; and the identical (except in name) Thompson & Thomson twins; are joined on the voyage by Professor Cuthbert Calculus, whose preposterous inventions are eclipsed only by his ability to carry on a continuous non sequitur conversation (an excuse to drive Haddock--who has never met a bottle of rum he didn't like--to drink). Like the "Secret of the Unicorn," "Treasure" is packed with fun and adventure for readers of all ages. In fact, I think I enjoyed it even more than the first book of the pair, partly because the Thom(p)son twins, who don their sailor suits and pompon hats to 'help' Tintin, thus contribute to the general chaos, and partly because the addition of Calculus, swinging his pendulum, adds a divinely inspired element of the ridiculous to the proceedings. Perhaps because Hergé carries his running jokes and word-plays even farther, they seemed even more laugh-out-loud funny than those of the first book. Since the book was written in the 'forties, some of the jokes will be appreciated only by film historians and persons of a certain vintage, but it is nevertheless nice to see them. A couple worth mentioning are written on posters on a kiosk, one of which advertises the GREAT [in every sense of the word] Orson Welles (repeating his name three times), who stars in a film entitled "ME"; and another which advertises the Opera "Boris Gudinov" starring Rino Tossi (Italian for 'nose coughs'); these translations likely reflect the original French. And, in the event that these jokes are too esoteric for the younger generation, Captain Haddock, not looking where he's going, runs smack into the kiosk, which advises him to read the Daily Reporter for 'News which Hits you!' Part of the fun of the humour is that it can be appreciated on many levels. My only complaint is that the new editions are missing the delightful 'portrait gallery' that used to adorn the inner covers of the old paperbacks, but, I suppose that the lack is to be expected in this age of austerity. As I mentioned in my review of Unicorn, I bought these books so that my grandson could enjoy the fun of Tintin with the original drawings. Of course, I hijacked them and read them before I wrapped them up. I was happy to discover that I found them just as delightful as I did back--well,not quite--when the earth was cooling!

We are now watching the adventures of Tintin because of these comics. We are planning to buy more once he finishes this one. Awesome.

The Tintin adventure "Red Rackham's Treasure" is notable for at least two features: The satisfying conclusion to the pirate mystery "The Secret of the Unicorn"; and the introduction of Professor Cuthbert Calculus, the brillant but hilariously deaf inventor who became a recurring character in the stories. As the story opens, Tintin and Captain Haddock are about to set sail for a mysterious island, in search of a treasure left behind by Captain Haddock's illustrious ancestor Sir Francis Haddock. The treasure hunters will detour briefly to the laboratory of Professor Calculus, who wishes to sell them a clever submersible shaped like a shark. This particular adventure was first published in 1945 and kudos are due artist and story-teller Herge for his imaginative mini-submarine. The treasure hunters, under the dubious protection of the bumbling detectives Thompson and Thomson, will find and search the island and the seas around it. Obviously, Herge cannot let our heroes find the treasure too quickly, and in fact, this particular mystery will finally resolve itself back in a familiar location from an earlier story. The artwork and storyline hold up exceptionally well despite the passage of time; "Red Rackham's Treasure" is highly recommended to Tintin fans of all ages.

Birthday present for my 7 year old and she loves it.

Hergé is always fantastic

This is the second book in a series of two, the first one being "The secret of the Unicorn". In this adventure Tintin and Captain Haddock goes on an expedition to find the treasure of Sir Francis Haddock. It is in this book Tintin meets Professor Cuthbert Calculus for the first time. His underwater machine turns out to be invaluable, even though Tintin and Captain Haddock at first reject it. This book is faster paced and more interesting than the first of the two and contains a lot of enjoyable humor. Professor Calculus is hard of hearing (almost deaf), and the book is filled with a lot of comic situations arising from the Professors condition. I admit I found these episodes to be funny, but they could also be objectionable to some. Overall a very good comic book, but not among the better of the Tintin adventures.

I remember this particular Tintin as one of my favorites when I was a child (in the original French), so I bought it for my gt-grandson 9th b'day. Gave it to him on the way to an outing and he was halfway through it by the time we got there. The Tintin books are great for any child in my view and I love the big original format. Am going to work on getting him the whole collection over the next 2-3 years. 4 stars because it's the English version but still fabulous to re=read.

特に品質面も問題なく、子どもは喜んでます。 価格も市販より少し安めでないでしょうか。

Red Rackham's Treasure is the thrilling conclusion to Hergé's tale of intrigue, treachery and pirate booty that began with The Secret of the Unicorn. Tintin and Captain Haddock had deciphered the three coded parchments that reveal the location of the Unicorn, a 17th century ship that was captained by Haddock's ancestor, Sir Francis Haddock. The Unicorn had been scuttled by Sir Francis Haddock during a fight with the pirate Red Rackham and Tintin and Captain Haddock believe that the pirate's treasure is still aboard the ship. In Red Rackham's Treasure, Tintin and the Captain charter a ship so that they can go in search of the long lost treasure. Their expedition is complicated when news of their impending voyage is leaked to the press and numerous peculiar personages, each claiming to be a descendant of Red Rackham, present themselves and demand a share of the treasure. Fortunately, the press coverage does have one happy consequence: Tintin and Captain Haddock becomes acquainted with Professor Cuthbert Calculus, an eccentric inventor who proposes that they use his newly invented shark-shaped submarine during their search for the sunken Unicorn. The group, with Thomson and Thompson [still no relation] providing security in case of rival treasure hunters, then set sail towards riches and adventure. Red Rackham's Treasure is another excellent Tintin book from Hergé. There is a great deal of excitement and derring-do in this story as the heroes venture underwater and to exotic locations in search of the treasure. The backgrounds here are more detailed than in The Secret of the Unicorn and so this book is a Hergé highpoint in terms of both art and story. It's all the more impressive since he based all of his location designs on pictures and newspaper stories rather than venturing from Belgium in search of settings. The underwater action is particularly fine; there is a great deal of tension related to the difficulties of maintaining an air supply and to the promise of treasure on the sea bed, as well as some delightful humour in the shape of a shark that takes a shine to the shark-shaped sub [try saying that several times in a row]. In fact, despite the old-fashioned adventure elements of the story, Red Rackham's Treasure is a very humorous story. Captain Haddock is on top form and his angry interactions with the alleged Red Rackham descendants and with Thomson and Thompson as well as with Professor Calculus are a sight to behold. The Haddock-inspired parrots are a hoot and a half too. This is the book that introduces Professor Calculus and this is another reason for it being a landmark in the Tintin series. Brilliant and befuddled Calculus is one of Hergé's greatest creations and, fortunately, plays a prominent role in future books. Ultimately, Red Rackham's Treasure is a fine mix of adventure and humour with a good dash of classic detective work on the part of Tintin himself mixed in. This is the story that really marks the start of Hergé's renaissance as both an artist and a storyteller, and it sets the tone for the further excellent Tintin adventures that follow.

Good quality

I have read it when I was a child because it's funny. Nowadays after I learn how to sail, I realize there's a Stellar Navigation topic in the story. Herge is the best.

A very interesting story. Loved it.