The Secret of the Unicorn (The Adventures of Tintin)

Something for everyone! That's the secret. And Hergé's "Secret of the Unicorn" fulfils that promise, launching readers of all ages on a whale of a great pirate adventure and treasure hunt with the intrepid Tintin. Accompanying our boy-reporter on his quest are the rumbustious Captain Haddock (who has never met a bottle of rum that he didn't like); and the defective detectives, Thompson and (to be precise) Thomson (identical twins whose names are NOT); their attempts to foil the notorious Bird Brothers are wildly inept, demanding the prompt interventions of Tintin and his incredible thinking dog, Snowy, who not only save the day but also find the treasure. The story, which focuses on maps and secret cyphers, is told with flashbacks, which introduce us to Haddock's ancestor, Sir Francis, and (Blue Blistering Barnacles!) his adversary, the notorious pirate Red Rackham, scourge of at least 5 of the 7 seas. Happily, the publishers have preserved the British English, which contributes to the old-world charm of the series. The dialogue is literate and full of benign double entendres; and the narrative moves at such a pace that one has to slow down to savour the story, so that the 63 pages don't fly by. But, even if they should, there is always the sequel, "Red Rackham's Treasure" to look forward to. I bought three different Tintin adventures so that my grandson would become acquainted with these delightful tales, which I discovered back in the fifties. I first met Tintin in the Netherlands, in the guise of Kuifje ('Cowlick', for his shock of unruly hair); I subsequently encountered him in French, German, and Italian. Tintin, in fact, serves as an ideal aid to learning a foreign language, since all the translations from the original French are so conversational and colloquial. "The Secret of the Unicorn" may have originated in the 'forties, but its themes of the young hero's persistence on behalf of a friend in his quest for pirate's treasure--of good triumphing over evil--are timeless. Furthermore, the running jokes are just as funny as when I first read them. They still cause me to burst into laughter. And who could not use a little laughter during turbulent times, whether then or now?

Just love a good Tintin story!

Belgian artist Herge's "The Secret of the Unicorn" is a classic yarn, featuring his cartoon hero, the young journalist Tintin, on the trail of a secret hidden in a model of the sailing ship Unicorn. It features Tintin's faithful dog Snowy, his seafaring friend Captain Haddock, and the bumbling detectives Thompson and Thomson in the first portion of a two-part adventure that concludes in "Red Rackham's Treasure." As the story opens, Tintin finds a ship model in a market and decides to buy it for his friend the Captain. An antique dealer tries but fails to buy the model from him. When the ship model goes missing, Tintin is suspicious. News of the theft causes Captain Haddock to review an account of one of his ancestors, Sir Francis Haddock, also a sea captain. From this point forward, the story is told in parallel, with Tintin pursuing the secret of three like ship models, while Sir Francis Haddock defends his ship against an attack by pirates. Tintin's search will bring him into violent contact with a ruthless group of antique dealers, while Sir Francis must survive his meeting with the villianous Red Rackham. The conclusions to both stories intersect in a nicely thrilling finish, setting the stage for the sequel in "Red Rackham's Treasure." "The Secret of the Unicorn" is a classic Tintin adventure, part detective story and part pirate yarn. It is very highly recommended to Tintin fans of all ages.

I bought this for my almost four year old grandson. He has been going through the complete collection and this one was missing. My daughter patiently reads them to him and each takes her 90 minutes to read aloud, and for such a normally hyperactive boy, he can focus and sit pretty quietly for the whole time, asking questions when he does not understand what is going on. Because these were written 50 years ago, they are eurocentric with racial and ethnic stereotypes, but if you can understand the era in which they were written, and discuss that with your kids as being stereotypes, they can still enjoy the books tremendously. My older grandkids have been reading them for years as well and I bought the entire set for them to have at their home (the set I have date back to my childhood in the 60s). GREAT BOOKS for girls and boys.

Good story, part one of two. Classic art and easy read.

Reading the Tintin adventures when I was a kid changed my life. It was my first exposure to the graphic novel experience. back then you got them a chapter at a time, later in complete book form like this. They were adventure stories with exciting action, mysterious puzzles, hilarious characters, and real world concepts I could understand. I buy them now for my nieces and nephews to read when they come over, but I have to read each one again as well. I very much like this extra-large softcover edition. The art work is much better presented and you can really put you whole focus into the story. I can't afford the hardcover editions so this is the next best thing. Not a one of these is bad. I'm working on collecting them all.

This is a wonderful book to own. It can be for grown ups and children. The story is so interesting that I couldn't stop reading. The colors are so vivid and beautiful that it feels like the pictures will jump out of the page. It's written in a easy to understand English. It's relaxing to read it. The expression of the faces are very easy to understand. I never seen a drawing that said so much with very little drawing(watch the faces).This book would make great gift for any age and I know one day it will be great collection item. I got this book and Tin Tin video as a birthday gift for my cousin and he loved it.

Love these books from my youth, rebuying in English for my teens.

Great book

Bonne réception. Tout est parfait. Merci

Loved by all who are over 7 yeats old! Print and quality is great.

Gripping adventure story for my grand son

It's a nice present. I didn't expect that.