The world of the gnome

Rien Poortvliet

Rien Poortvliet is the illustrator of the world-famous gnome books. More than 4 million copies of ‘Life and works of the Gnome’ and ‘The call of the Gnomes’ have been sold worldwide and the books have been published as many as
in 21 different languages.

Worldwide success

The gnome books, with illustrations by Rien Poortvliet and texts by Wil Huygen, are an absolute success. The first part, Life and works of the gnome (1976), became a classic: the 62nd edition was published in 2012.
Millions of copies were sold, translated into 21 languages. The English translation, The Gnomes, was number 1 on The New York Times bestseller list for more than a year. The second book was published in 1981,
The Call of the Gnomes (1981),which also became a ‘bestseller’..

Both books served as the basis for a cartoon series in the 1980s, broadcast on both Dutch and Belgian television.

NOSTALGIA

The first gnome book was published in 1976 and almost every Dutch family had a gnome book at home at the time. For the ‘children of the past’, the Gnome evokes nostalgic memories of the past and the ‘children of today’ are introduced for the first time to the wonderful world of the Gnome, which of course appeals to everyone’s imagination, from young to old.

WORLD FAMOUS

With his bestsellers ‘The Gnomes’
and ‘The call of the gnomes’ (with texts by Wil Huygen), Rien Poortvliet’s gnome became world famous.

STILL POPULAR

The many products that have been made since the publication of the first gnome book in 1976 prove that the gnome is still popular. The gnomes still bring coziness into the home and like to pose on tableware, puzzles, (coloring) books, kitchen textiles, Christmas cards, greeting cards, etc.