Synopses & Reviews
--the Water Rat to the Mole An instant bestseller upon its initial publication in 1908, has become one of the beloved stories of all time. How could Ratty and Mole have known when they took to the river over one hundred years ago that they would begin a phenomenon that would produce one of the most oft-quoted lines in British literature, and inspire everyone from the creator of Winnie-the-Pooh to Pink Floyd? Drawing from more than a decade of research, Annie Gauger, one of the world's leading experts on Kenneth Grahame and , now presents a fascinating new annotated edition that reintroduces readers to Otter, curmudgeonly Badger, and rollicking, boastful Toad, while revealing the secrets behind this treasured classic. In , readers will discover the sheer joy of the original text, restored to the original 1908 version, illustrated with hundreds of full-color images--including the beloved drawings by E. H. Shepard and Arthur Rackham. This edition also includes Shepard's famous map of the Wild Wood and rarely seen images by illustrators Graham Robertson, Paul Bransom, Nancy Barnhart, and Wyndham Payne. In an illuminating preface, Gauger explains how Grahame came to write the novel, which began as a bedtime story and then became a series of letters he wrote to his son, Alastair. This edition reproduces the original letters in their entirety and includes nearly a thousand delightful annotations on everything from automobiles (Toad drove an Armstrong Hardcastle Special Eight) and early motorcar etiquette to modern manifestations (Disneyland's Mr. Toad's Wild Ride). She reveals how William John Cavendish Bentinck-Scott, the peculiar Fifth Duke of Portland, built an extensive network of underground tunnels, thus inspiring the character of Badger, and she puts Grahame's work in literary context, comparing him to Dickens, Rudyard Kipling, A. A. Milne, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Finally, new to this edition, long buried in the Kenneth Grahame papers, are the notes, letters, and writings by Alastair Grahame and his governess, including several pieces by Kenneth Grahame himself that have never been published before. With a stunning, lyrical tribute to Grahame by Brian Jacques, the internationally best-selling author of the series, should prove a most beautiful and enduring tribute to Grahame's masterpiece.
Review
"I found The Annotated Wind in the Willows is absolutely fascinating and delightful. Practically every page is a revelation, and being able to compare the various illustrations is both stimulating and thought-provoking. Most importantly, perhaps, Alastair Grahame finally gets some close attention that puts him in a new, and much happier, light. It's a fitting tribute to the great original, and will delight enthusiasts and academics alike. An absolutely fantastic book." Jan Needle, author of Wild Wood, a sequel to Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows
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"The tradition that Martin Gardner began with the has been splendidly upheld by Annie Gauger. What Gardner did for Lewis Carroll, Gauger has done in spades for Kenneth Grahame, in a sumptuously produced volume that's a delight to handle as well as read. The background information on display really dazzles: I only wish I'd had this book to consult when writing Grahame's biography." Peter Green, author of Kenneth Grahame, 1859-1932: A Study of His Life, Work, and Times
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Certainly anybody who wants to own just one annotated Wind in the Willows should choose Gauger's. --Peter Green, author of
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[Gauger] by far [is] the more extensive and detailed of the two annotators. --Michael Dirda
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[Jacques' introduction is] a paean to the story and its heroes that is in delightful harmony with the book's spirit...richly illustrated throughout. --Jan Needle, author of
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Beautiful. --Katherine A. Powers
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[I]nsights that burnish the book...enrich the experience of reading the book...it's the introduction...that give[s] us a new relationship to the story. --Meghan Cox Gurdon
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[Gauger] provides revealing insights into the psychological and social genesis of The Wind in the Willows...illuminating...analysis of the pictures...lovers of The Wind in the Willows are surely indebted to Ms. Gauger's work, and her readers will love seeing illustrations from so many editions. --Jeremy McCarter
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[A] superlative book...It is the ultimate desk-bound person's fantasy scheme. --Claire Hopley
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"Kenneth Grahame's revered children's book The Wind in the Willows is celebrating two anniversaries. Last year was the centennial of its publication, and 2009 is the sesquicentennial of its author's birth. As a consequence, we find ourselves with two annotated editions — both oversize, both beautifully designed and illustrated." Michael Sims, Washington Post Book World (read the entire )
Synopsis
An instant bestseller on its initial publication in 1908, The Wind in the Willows has become one of the greatest books in children"s literature. Hundreds of illustrations, including famous images by E. H. Shepard and Arthur Rackham, illuminate the adventures of Mole, Mr. Toad, Badger, Otter, River Rat, and all our other favorite characters. In addition to remarkable notes on automobiles (Toad drove an Armstrong Hardcastle Special Eight), picnics, Gypsies, caravans, old English mansions, peculiar dukes, and even modern manifestations (Disney's 'Mr. Toad"s Wild Ride'), scholar Annie Gauger has uncovered extraordinary new material on Kenneth Grahame, his troubled family life, and the origins of the story. Her preface puts Grahame's work in historical and literary context, and she provides biographies of all the illustrators. With a stirring introduction by Brian Jacques, The Annotated Wind in the Willows promises to become the authoritative edition of this classic work, published just in time to honor the author's 150th birthday
Synopsis
Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing absolutely nothing half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. the Water Rat to the Mole An instant bestseller upon its initial publication in 1908, The Wind in the Willows has become one of the beloved stories of all time. How could Ratty and Mole have known when they took to the river over one hundred years ago that they would begin a phenomenon that would produce one of the most oft-quoted lines in British literature, and inspire everyone from the creator of Winnie-the-Pooh to Pink Floyd? Drawing from more than a decade of research, Annie Gauger, one of the world s leading experts on Kenneth Grahame and The Wind in the Willows, now presents a fascinating new annotated edition that reintroduces readers to Otter, curmudgeonly Badger, and rollicking, boastful Toad, while revealing the secrets behind this treasured classic. InThe Annotated Wind in the Willows, readers will discover the sheer joy of the original text, restored to the original 1908 version, illustrated with hundreds of full-color images including the beloved drawings by E. H. Shepard and Arthur Rackham. This edition also includes Shepard s famous map of the Wild Wood and rarely seen images by illustrators Graham Robertson, Paul Bransom, Nancy Barnhart, and Wyndham Payne. In an illuminating preface, Gauger explains how Grahame came to write the novel, which began as a bedtime story and then became a series of letters he wrote to his son, Alastair. This edition reproduces the original letters in their entirety and includes nearly a thousand delightful annotations on everything from automobiles (Toad drove an Armstrong Hardcastle Special Eight) and early motorcar etiquette to modern manifestations (Disneyland s Mr. Toad s Wild Ride). She reveals how William John Cavendish Bentinck-Scott, the peculiar Fifth Duke of Portland, built an extensive network of underground tunnels, thus inspiring the character of Badger, and she puts Grahame s work in literary context, comparing him to Dickens, Rudyard Kipling, A. A. Milne, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Finally, new to this edition, long buried in the Kenneth Grahame papers, are the notes, letters, and writings by Alastair Grahame and his governess, including several pieces by Kenneth Grahame himself that have never been published before With a stunning, lyrical tribute to Grahame by Brian Jacques, the internationally best-selling author of theRedwall series, The Annotated Wind in the Willows should prove a most beautiful and enduring tribute to Grahame s masterpiece. "
Synopsis
Kenneth Grahame"s classic comes alive in a gorgeous, annotated homage to this beloved masterpiece.
Synopsis
With a stirring introduction by Brian Jacques, the internationally best-selling author of the Series. "The tradition that Martin Gardner began with has been splendidly upheld by Annie Gauger. What Gardner did for Lewis Carroll, Gauger has done in spades for Kenneth Grahame, in a sumptuously produced volume that's a delight to handle as well as read. The background information on display really dazzles: I only wish I'd had this book to consult when writing Grahame's biography."--Peter Green, author of Classic praise for "Destined to be one of those dog-eared volumes which one laughs over and loves."--, 1908 "I have read it and re-read it, and have come to accept the characters as old friends. . . . Indeed, I feel very much about going to Africa as the seafaring rat did when he almost made the water-rat wish to forsake everything and start wandering!"--President Theodore Roosevelt to Kenneth Grahame, 1909 "It is what I call a Household Book . . . a book which everybody in the household loves, and quotes continually ever afterwards; a book which is read aloud to every new guest."--A. A. Milne, 1920 "I rank [] very high in its class--up in the region of almost--and much higher than the efforts of Mickey Mouse."--E. M. Forster, 1942 "Consider Mr. Badger in --that extraordinary amalgam of high rank, course manners, gruffness, shyness, and goodness. The child who has once met Mr. Badger has ever afterwards in its bones a knowledge of humanity and of English social history which it could not get in any other way."--C. S. Lewis, 1950 includes:
Synopsis
To celebrate , scholar Annie Gauger offers this beautifully illustrated edition of Kenneth Grahame's classic--complete with rare photographs of the Grahames, their friends, and illustrations from the first five editions.
Synopsis
"A beautiful and fascinating book which surely must become the definitive edition for any lovers of Kenneth Grahame. Annie Gauger has produced a lavish and scholarly work which still allows us to enjoy the original story without all the incredible research feeling unnecessarily intrusive."
About the Author
Kenneth Grahame (1859-1932) was a British writer, most famous for his children's classics The Reluctant Dragon (1898) and The Wind in the Willows (1908).Annie Gauger studied at Oxford University, researching the papers of Kenneth Grahame in the Bodleian Library. A fellow at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at the University of Texas at Austin, she is a member of the Kenneth Grahame Society and has appeared on NPR and the BBC. She lives south of Boston, Massachusetts.Annie Gauger studied at Oxford University, researching the papers of Kenneth Grahame in the Bodleian Library. A fellow at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at the University of Texas at Austin, she is a member of the Kenneth Grahame Society and has appeared on NPR and the BBC. She lives south of Boston, Massachusetts.Brian Jacques is the best-selling author of the Redwall series.Annie Gauger studied at Oxford University, researching the papers of Kenneth Grahame in the Bodleian Library. A fellow at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at the University of Texas at Austin, she is a member of the Kenneth Grahame Society and has appeared on NPR and the BBC. She lives south of Boston, Massachusetts.