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The Making of The Wind in the Willows

Series: The Making of
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( 44 ratings, 7 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Wind in the Willows began as bedtime stories Kenneth Grahame told his son and letters he wrote while on holiday. Peter Hunt reveals how these simple origins evolved into a sophisticated work drawing on boating, caravanning and motoring literature. The book explores the real-life inspirations for key characters, the detailed correspondence surrounding its publication, and the vital roles of Elspeth Grahame and Constance Smedley in shaping it from intended adult fiction into the beloved children's classic known today.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$4499
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This compelling exploration is ideal for readers interested in children's literature history, fans of The Wind in the Willows, and those fascinated by literary biography and cultural studies.

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Generously illustrated with original drawings, fan letters (including one from President Roosevelt) and archival material, this book explores the mysteries surrounding one of the most successful works of children's literature ever published.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The Wind in the Willows has its origins in the bedtime stories that Kenneth Grahame told to his son Alastair and then continued in letters (now held in the Bodleian Library) while he was on holiday. But the book developed into something much more sophisticated than this, as Peter Hunt shows.

He identifies the colleagues and friends on whom Grahame is thought to have based the characters of Mole, Rat, Badger and Toad, and explores the literary genres of boating, caravanning and motoring books on which the author drew.

He also recounts the extraordinary correspondence surrounding the book's first publication and the influence of two determined women β€” Elspeth Grahame and publisher's agent Constance Smedley β€” who helped turn the book into the classic for children we know and love today, when it was almost entirely intended for adults.

Series: The Making of

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    β€˜Invention...does not consist in creating out of void, but out of chaos’ - Mary Shelley In the 200 years since its first publication, the story of Frankenstein's creation during stormy days and nights at Byron's Villa Diodati on Lake Geneva has become literary legend. In this book, Daisy Hay returns to the objects and manuscripts of the novel's genesis in...
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  • The Making of The Wind in the Willows
    The Wind in the Willows has its origins in the bedtime stories that Kenneth Grahame told to his son Alastair and then continued in letters (now held in the Bodleian Library) while he was on holiday. But the book developed into something much more sophisticated than this, as Peter Hunt shows. He identifies the colleagues and friends on whom Grahame...
    Paperback
    $4499
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

'How did a famous book come to be written by a man with no interest in it and how did it become a children's classic when it was almost entirely intended for adults? This splendid book gives the answers to both these curious conundrums.' — This England Magazine
'This lovingly-illustrated book is full of archival material and explores the mysteries surrounding one of the most successful works of children's literature.'Countryside Magazine
'Well laid out and thoroughly readable... The tale of how The Wind in the Willows took shape is equally as fascinating.'The Field
'An elegant, visually-enhancing volume that should fly off shelves with the speed of Toad behind the wheel of his "shiny new motor-car".'Children's Books History Society
'If you have never read Kenneth Grahame's fantastic children's book, before you do please read this... As Toad would say: "Poop! Poop!"'Let's Talk! 'Books of the Month'

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781851244799

Publisher: Bodleian Library

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 16 March 2018

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Bodleian Library

Illustration: 60 Illustrations, color

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 170.0mm

Height: 210.0mm

Weight: 356g

Pages: 128

About the Author

Peter Hunt is Professor Emeritus in English and Children’s Literature at Cardiff University.

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