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A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys
by Nathaniel Hawthorne
- Used
- Hardcover
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
New York, New York, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
HAWTHORNE, Nathaniel. A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys. With Illustrations by Milo Winter. Chicago: Rand McNally (ca. 1945). 4to, 254pp. Black cloth decoratively stamped in silver with color pictorial label affixed to front. Pictorial endpapers; 5 color plates and numerous b&w illustrations. Spine ends a bit worn, corners lightly so, faint scratch to cover label, else a clean, bright copy in original color pictorial dust jacket (light edgewear, 1 ½" closed tear at top of rear panel and at bottom of front, light scratch to front).
Reprint, ca. 1945, being one of the Windemere Classics published by Rand McNally and illustrated by Milo Winter. Hawthorne's celebrated retellings of the adventures of the ancient Greek heroes are recounted with a charming simplicity that has captivated generations of readers. Milo Winter's captivating color illustrations vividly reflect the majesty and pathos of these wonderful stories.
Synopsis
Hawthorne made it his ambition to be a writer as a teenager, he graduated from Bowdoin College in Maine, where poet Longfellow was also a student, and spent several years traveling New England writing short stories before creating The Scarlet Letter. He wrote A Wonder-Book between April and July 1851, freely adapting six legends from Charles Anton's A Classical Dictionary . He set out deliberately to 'modernize' the stories, freeing them from 'cold moonshine' and using a romantic, readable style. This was criticized by adults but proved universally popular with children. The stories in A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys are all stories within a story. The frame being that a Williams College student, Eustace Bright, is telling these tales to a group of children at Tanglewood, an area in Lenox, Massachusetts, where Hawthorne lived for a time. A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys covers the myths of: The Gorgon's Head - the story of Perseus killing Medusa at the request of the king of the island, Polydectes. The Golden Touch - the story of King Midas and his "Golden Touch". The Paradise of Children - the story of Pandora opening the box filled with all of mankind's Troubles. The Three Golden Apples - the story of Heracles procuring the Three Golden Apples from the Hesperides' orchard, with the help of Atlas. The Miraculous Pitcher - the story of Baucis and Philemon providing food and shelter to two strangers who were Zeus and "Quicksilver" (Hermes) in disguise. Baucis and Philemon were rewarded by the gods for their kindness; they were promised never to live apart from one another. The Chimæra - the story of Bellerophon taming Pegasus and killing the Chimæra.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Books of Wonder
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 1049739
- Title
- A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys
- Author
- Nathaniel Hawthorne
- Illustrator
- Milo Winter
- Format/Binding
- Black cloth decoratively stamped in silver with color pictorial label affixed to front
- Book Condition
- Used
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- Reprint
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- Rand McNally
- Place of Publication
- Chicago
- Date Published
- ca. 1945
- Pages
- 254pp.
- Size
- 4to
- Weight
- 0.00 lbs
Terms of Sale
Books of Wonder
10 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Books of Wonder
Biblio member since 2020
New York, New York
About Books of Wonder
Books of Wonder is NYC's oldest and largest independent children's bookstore, specializing in both new and old books. Established in 1980, Books of Wonder has a store in the Flatiron/Chelsea area of Manhattan.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
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