A major exhibition of previously unseen drawings by Tove Jansson, the Finnish creator of the Moomins, will open at London's Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration in November, marking 25 years since her death. Billed as the UK's first show dedicated to her illustrations, Tove Jansson and her Families will feature more than 100 exhibits, including sketches, photographs, films and personal correspondence, shedding light on the artistic process behind a series that has sold up to 30 million copies worldwide.

Highlights include original art from her first Moomins book, The Moomins and the Great Flood, and a previously unseen early sketch for the cover of Moominpappa at Sea, which even her niece Sophia Jansson, creative director of the Moomins brand, had not seen before. The exhibition will also display booklets Jansson wrote and illustrated aged seven, alongside her illustrations for works such as Alice in Wonderland and The Hobbit—the latter famously prompting JRR Tolkien to amend Gollum's description after seeing her outsized depiction of the character. A new English edition of The Hobbit featuring her illustrations is being published this month by HarperCollins.