Home A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys by Nathaniel Hawthorne; Contribution by Mint Editions (ISBN: 9781513204635)

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A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys Hardcover - 2021

Name: A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys (Mint Editions (The Childrens Library))
Price: 8.32 USD
Availability: InStock
Author: Hawthorne, Nathaniel
ISBN: 9781513204635

by Nathaniel Hawthorne; Contribution by Mint Editions

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About this book

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.

From the publisher

Nathaniel Hawthorne presents a multilayered story consisting of six Greek myths that are told from a unique perspective and appeals to all readers, specifically children. His writing style transcends age to deliver a family-friendly narrative.

A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys is a compilation of classic stories inspired by Greek mythology. Hawthorne's interpretation is filtered through the fictional character, Eustace Bright, a college student who's entertaining a group of children. The book features "The Gorgon's Head," a popular epic that follows Perseus and his quest to slay Medusa. There's also "The Paradise of Children," a cautionary tale about Pandora's box, and "The Golden Touch," which recalls the story of King Midas.

Originally published in 1851, A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys continues to stand the test of time. Its stories are literary staples that have been adapted for multiple mediums. The collection also produced the sequel, Tanglewood Tales, which was released in 1853.

With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys is both modern and readable.

From the rear cover

A collection of six Greek myths reimagined for a younger audience. A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a contemporary adaptation of many classic tales. They include "The Gorgon's Head," "The Golden Touch," "The Paradise of Children," "The Three Golden Apples," "The Miraculous Pitcher" and "The Chimaera."

First Edition Identification

Although dated 1852 on the title-page, A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys was actually published in November 1851 by Ticknor, Reed and Fields in Boston . This edition has the misprint “lifed” for lifted” on page 21, line 3. It features the original gray-green cloth, pale yellow wove endpapers, a frontispiece and six inserted engraved plates after designs by Hammat Billings.