E. Nesbit

From A to Z, the Penguin Drop Caps series collects 26 unique hardcovers--featuring cover art by Jessica Hische It all begins with a letter. Fall in love with Penguin Drop Caps, a new series of twenty-six collectible and hardcover editions, each with a type cover showcasing a gorgeously illustrated letter of the alphabet. In a design collaboration between Jessica Hische and Penguin Art Director Paul Buckley, the series features unique cover art by Hische, a superstar in the world of type design and illustration, whose work has appeared everywhere from Tiffany & Co. to Wes Anderson's recent film Moonrise Kingdom to Penguin's own bestsellers Committed and Rules of Civility. With exclusive designs that have never before appeared on Hische's hugely popular Daily Drop Cap blog, the Penguin Drop Caps series debuted with an 'A' for Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, a 'B' for Charlotte Br nte's Jane Eyre, and a 'C' for Willa Cather's My ntonia. It continues with more perennial classics, perfect to give as elegant gifts or to showcase on your own shelves. N is for Nesbit. While exploring the environs of their summer home, five brothers and sisters find a Psammead, or Sand-fairy, in a nearby gravel pit: "Its eyes were on long horns like a snail's eyes, and it could move them in and out like telescopes; it had ears like a bat's ears, and its tubby body was shaped like a spider's and covered with thick soft fur; its legs and arms were furry too, and it had hands and feet like a monkey's." The Psammead is magical and, every day, the ancient and irritable creature grants each of them a wish that lasts until sunset. Soon they find their wishes never seem to turn out right and often have unexpected--and humorous--consequences. And when an accidental wish goes terribly wrong, the children learn that magic, like life, can be as complicated as it is exciting. Five Children and It continues to be one of our most enduring stories, as fantastical and as it is true to the wonders of childhood.

The Children's Shakespeare with Eleven Full-Page Illustrations By Edith Nesbit Introduction It was evening. The fire burned brightly in the inn parlor. We had been that day to see Shakespeare's house, and I had told the children all that I could about him and his work. Now they were sitting by the table, poring over a big volume of the Master's plays, lent them by the landlord. And 1, with eyes fixed on the fire, was wandering happily in the immortal dreamland peopled by Rosalind and Imogen, Lear and Hamlet. A small sigh roused me - "I can't understand a word of it," said Iris. "And you said it was so beautiful," Rosamund added, reproachfully. "What does it all mean?" "Yes," Iris went on, "you said it was a fairy tale, and we've read three pages, and there's nothing about fairies, not even a dwarf, or a fairy god-mother." "And what does 'misgraffed' mean?" "And 'vantage, ' and 'austerity, ' and 'be like, ' and 'edict, ' and -" "Stop, stop," I cried; "I will tell you the story." In a moment they were nestling beside me, cooing with the pleasure that the promise of a story always brings them. But you must be quiet a moment, and let me think." In truth it was not easy to arrange the story simply. Even with the recollection of Lamb's tales to help me I found it hard to tell the "Midsummer Night's Dream" in words that these little ones could understand. But presently I began the tale, and then the words came fast enough. When the story was ended, Iris drew a long breath. "It is a lovely story," he said; "but it doesn't look at all like that in the book." "It is only put differently," I answered. "You will understand when you grow up that the stories are the least part of Shakespeare." "But it's the stories we like," said Rosamund. "You see he did not write for children." "No, but you might," cried Iris, flushed with a sudden idea. "Why don't you write the stories for us so that we can understand them, just as you told us that, and then, when we are grown up, we shall understand the plays so much better? Do do " "Ah, do You will, won't you? You must " "Oh, well, if I must, I must," I said. So they settled it for me, and for them these tales were written. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Windham Press is committed to bringing the lost cultural heritage of ages past into the 21st century through high-quality reproductions of original, classic printed works at affordable prices. This book has been carefully crafted to utilize the original images of antique books rather than error-prone OCR text. This also preserves the work of the original typesetters of these classics, unknown craftsmen who laid out the text, often by hand, of each and every page you will read. Their subtle art involving judgment and interaction with the text is in many ways superior and more human than the mechanical methods utilized today, and gave each book a unique, hand-crafted feel in its text that connected the reader organically to the art of bindery and book-making. We think these benefits are worth the occasional imperfection resulting from the age of these books at the time of scanning, and their vintage feel provides a connection to the past that goes beyond the mere words of the text.

After their father's sudden disappearance, Roberta, Peter and Phyllis must leave their London suburban home, with its servants and toys, for a life in the country. They are soon enraptured by the nearby railway, with its trains like dragons flying past and all the bustle of the station. Soon they find the railway also brings excitement, danger and mystery and life-changing friendships. This much-beloved children's classic brings to life to a vanished rural England.

This classic tale of childrens whimsy is light and easy to read. New illustrations added in this version as well as a brief biography of the Author. The enchanted castle of the title is a country estate in the West Country seen through the eyes of three children, Gerald, James and Kathleen, who discover it while exploring during the school holidays. The lake, groves and marble statues, with white towers and turrets in the distance, make a fairy-tale setting, and then in the middle of the maze in the rose garden they find a sleeping fairy-tale princess. The "princess" tells them that the castle is full of magic, and they almost believe her. She shows them the treasures of the castle, including a ring she says is a ring of invisibility, but when it actually turns her invisible she panics and admits that she is the housekeeper's niece, Mabel, and was just play-acting. The children soon discover that the ring has other magical powers.

After their father is mysteriously abducted by strangers, Bobbie, Peter and Phyllis move with their mother from their comfortable city home to 'Three Chimneys', a tiny cottage in the countryside, next to a railway station. Soon the children find enough to amuse themselves with at the station, befriending everybody from the porter and the stationmaster to an old gentleman who waves at them from the 9.15 each day. But the mystery of their father's disappearance looms large over them. Where is Father? And ho9w does the old gentleman hold the key to the mystery? Told n simple, lucid prose, Nesbit's classic is one of the most endearing coming-of-age stories ever written.

HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics.

The classic tale of star crossed lovers presented in a volume including tales by Shakespeare, Nesbit & Brooke. From the well known play to its inspiration to a loving simple presentation of the tale by a renowned turn of the 20th century author, this volume will reintroduce you to the classic characters.