One of Alan Titchmarsh's favourite books. This timeless tale has never been out of print and remains one of the best loved children’s titles in English literature. Grahame’s wonderful imagination and quiet humour continue to charm children and adults alike and this edition is beautifully complemented by some stunning illustrations throughout by award-winning illustrator Robert Ingpen. Other classics illustrated by Robert Ingpen and in a wonderful gift hardback edition include, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, The Jungle Book, and Peter Pan.
First published in 1908, "e;The Wind in the Willows"e; is one of the most cherished works of children's literature ever written, undoubtedly Kenneth Grahame's most famous work. Originally written as a series of bedtime stories for the author's son, the story begins at the arrival of spring where we find the good-natured Mole tired of doing his spring cleaning. Mole decides to abandon his cleaning in order to enjoy the fresh air of spring. He journeys to the river where he meets Rat, whom he quickly befriends. Together the two row down the river eventually meeting up with Toad at Toad Hall. There they discover Toad's current obsession with his horse-drawn caravan, one which he quickly abandons for a motorcar when his caravan is run off the road by one. A fourth friend enters the story in the form of Badger and when it is discovered that Toad's obsession is becoming self-destructive, Mole, Rat, and Badger intervene to help protect Toad from himself. This collection of stories is a captivating and timeless classic which brings alive the creatures of the woodland. This edition is illustrated by Nancy Barnhart and includes a biographical afterword.
“Robert Ingpen’s breathtaking autumnal illustrations depict the characters as real animals and evoke the English countryside so convincingly that you can almost smell the river.” - Nicolette Jones, The SundayTimes
Author
About Kenneth Grahame
Kenneth Grahame was born in Edinburgh, Scotland but in early childhood, after being orphaned, moved to live with his grandmother on the banks of the River Thames in southern England. He was an outstanding pupil at St Edward's School in Oxford and wanted to attend Oxford University but was not allowed to do so by his guardian on grounds of cost. Instead he was sent to work at the Bank of England in 1879, and rose through the ranks until retiring as its Secretary in 1908 due to ill health. In addition to ill health, Grahame's retirement was precipitated in 1903 by a strange, possibly political, shooting incident at the bank. Grahame was shot at three times, all of them missed. Grahame's marriage to Elspeth Thomson was an unhappy one. They had only one child, a boy named Alastair, who was born blind in one eye and was plagued by health problems throughout his short life. Alastair eventually committed suicide on a railway track while an undergraduate at Oxford University, two days before his 20th birthday on 7 May, 1920. Out of respect for Kenneth Grahame, Alastair's demise was recorded as an accidental death. Kenneth Grahame died in Pangbourne, Berkshire in 1932.
