MovieChat Forums > One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) Discussion > Finding the original book?

Finding the original book?

posted 14 years ago by a_rarden
4 replies | jump to latest

I've never really too much out of my way to find it, but any time that I remember seeing 101 Dalmations as a book is was a Disney book for kids, which usually means it follows Disney's movie more than the original story. I could probably find it online if I really wanted to, but has anyone found it at a common bookstore or library?

I'll probably favor the movie over the book, just like I have with all my other attempts in the past (movie or book; whichever I see first is usually the one I prefer). I love the movie, but I am curious about what was left out and how it was changed to make this children's movie.

[–] ChimneyBert 14 years ago

I bought my copy at Barnes and Noble. It should be easy enough to find.

BTW- it is a great book! It seemed to have a lot of typos, however. I'm not sure- Dodie Smith lived in England and the book was written in the 50's, so perhaps I'm not familiar with the language rules.

Still a good book.

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[–] dogman15 14 years ago

I once found the book somewhere at some church's reading room. I didn't really read it, but I read parts of it, and I liked the fact that (in the book) the "Dalmatian Plantation" is actually a cleaned-up Hell Hall (the place where Cruella and the Baduns hide in the book/film/story).

[–] wishmewell 14 years ago

The book is a classic. Yes, it's British and there is quite a bit of Brit-spell and also some clever wordplay. There's also a sequel... it's called the Starlight Bark. Dodie Smith wrote a lot of great stories. Another must read of hers is I Capture the Castle.

[–] peeaecee 14 years ago

If you can, you should try to find a copy of the original 1956 printing. I don't think that edition is sold today, but it can be found in some libraries (one of my local libraries has it). The original edition has a pink binding and the title is actually The Hundred and One Dalmatians, as opposed to 101 Dalmatians.
Newer editions, from after Disney's film was released contain different illustrations from the original that were clearly inspired by the film, particularly the illustrations of Cruella De Vil, who is drawn similar to Disney's design for her (just with more realistic proportions). The illustrations in the original edition were created before the film was made, and are likely closer to the way the author envisioned the characters. Disney's version may be iconic, but Cruella De Vil was a considerably different character in the book, (if with the same motives).