One of the best-known classics of children"s literature, a timeless masterpiece and a vital portrait of an age, The Wind in the Willows began originally in Kenneth Grahame";s letters to his young son,...
The Wind In The Willows
One of the best-known classics of children"s literature, a timeless masterpiece and a vital portrait of an age, The Wind in the Willows began originally in Kenneth Grahame";s letters to his young son, where he first recounted the adventures of Rat and Badger, of Mole and Toad--all narrated in virtuoso language ranging from lively parody to elaborate fin-de-siA]cle mysticism. Yet for a children"s book, it is concerned almost exclusively with adult themes: fear of radical changes in political, social, and economic power. This new edition considers this conundrum and provides a wealth of fascinating contextual information about the book";s author and its historical, cultural, and literary significance. The Introduction by Peter Hunt, one of the foremost scholars of children"s literature, focuses on the book";s status as a classic, and as both a self-portrait of Kenneth Grahame's psyche and a portrait of an age. Reproducing the text of the first British edition, the book includes explanatory notes that shed light on the sources of the book--biographical, psychological, geographical, and literary--and an up-to-date bibliography.