The Annotated Charlotte's Web [Paperback]

E.B. White (Author), Peter F. Neumeyer (Author, Introduction), Garth Williams (Illustrator)

Book Description

When it was first published in 1994, The New York Times said: "The Annotated Charlotte's Web, a big, handsome facsimile of E. B. White's book, accompanied by Peter F. Neumeyer's notes and critical commentary, is just the right match of form and function. It is a conversation between the part of us that always reads for pure pleasure and the part that learned to read for intellectual enlightenment". More and more critical acclaim followed this comprehensive exploration of one of literature's best-loved classics. The Annotated Charlotte's Web includes information from White's original drafts, cross-references, letters, criticism, and literary-cultural commentary. For over forty years this great American novel has thrived without annotation. Now, however, these selected insights can bring us closer to the book's author, enrich our reading of the book itself, and shed a measure of light on the artistic process.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

E.B. White, the author of twenty books of prose and poetry, was awarded the 1970 Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal for his children’s books, Stuart Little and Charlotte’s Web. This award is now given every three years "to an author or illustrator whose books, published in the United States, have, over a period of years, make a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children." The year 1970 also marked the publication of Mr. White’s third book for children, The Trumpet of the Swan, honored by The International Board on Books for Young People as an outstanding example of literature with international importance. In 1973, it received the Sequoyah Award (Oklahoma) and the William Allen White Award (Kansas), voted by the school children of those states as their "favorite book" of the year.

Born in Mount Vernon, New York, Mr. White attended public schools there. He was graduated from Cornell University in 1921, worked in New York for a year, then traveled about. After five or six years of trying many sorts of jobs, he joined the staff of The New Yorker magazine, then in its infancy. The connection proved a happy one and resulted in a steady output of satirical sketches, poems, essays, and editorials. His essays have also appeared in Harper’s Magazine, and his books include One Man’s Meat, The Second Tree from the Corner, Letters of E.B. White, The Essays of E.B. White and Poems and Sketches of E.B. White.

In 1938 Mr. White moved to the country. On his farm in Maine he kept animals, and some of these creatures got into his stories and books. Mr. White said he found writing difficult and bad for one’s disposition, but he kept at it. He began Stuart Little in the hope of amusing a six-year-old niece of his, but before he finished it, she had grown up.

For his total contribution to American letters, Mr. White was awarded the 1971 National Medal for Literature. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy named Mr. White as one of thirty-one Americans to receive the Presidential Medal for Freedom. Mr. White also received the National Institute of Arts and Letters’ Gold Medal for Essays and Criticism, and in 1973 the members of the Institute elected him to the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a society of fifty members. He also received honorary degrees from seven colleges and universities. Mr. White died on October 1, 1985.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: HarperTrophy; annotated edition edition (September 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064461831
• ISBN-13: 978-0064461832
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 9.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #985,726 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent companion to the original book., May 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Annotated Charlotte's Web (Paperback)

I purchased this book several years ago to give me more insight into E.B. White's classic novel. Every time I read and re-read the notes, rewrites and history of this touching story for children, I find myself learning so much more about the writing style of this fabulous author. The photographs of White's farmhouse add texture and depth to the story and my first grade students appreciated that he, too, had to make revisions on his work! A wonderful resource for anyone interested in children's literature.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Anything About Charltte's Web, and More, January 6, 2008

By 

E. E. H. (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Annotated Charlotte's Web (Paperback)

I felt really sad seeing this book was among the bargain books in Borders Bookstore the other day. This is a great book, talking about almost everything on Charlotte's Web, and a lot about E.B. White the author.

The main part is the chindren's famous fiction, Charlotte's Web. The layout of the novel is the same as the one originally published. Prof Neumeyer's Notes are scattered in the big margin beside the text of Charlotte's Web.

A very well researched book, it contains an introduction before the novel. After the novel, there are several appendices. In Appendix D, E.B. White's Letters and Comments about Charlotte's Web, we can read several short essays by E.B. White, including Death Of A Pig, and The Future of Reading. The Recommended Reading and Works Cited are also very helpful to understand the fiction and E.B. White.

After reading the book, I understand Charlotte's Web much better. If lots of knowleged people had read this book, they would have never made any unforgiveable mistakes. (Such as, Edward C. Sampson in E.B. White, Twayne United States Authors Series, wrongly stating the girl's name as Fern Zucherman. In a recently published children's book, The Art of Reading, Fern bacame Fern Avery! Do the editors still edit?)

It also shows how E.B White revised his novel, thus teaching us how to write well!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good!, June 22, 2009

By 

Sarah Faulds "Sarah" (Columbia, SC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Annotated Charlotte's Web (Paperback)

This is a great book for any teacher wanted to know the details behind the writing of Charlotte's Web! It has everything that one would want to know about the book. From research information, to random brainstorming by E.B. White! A great addition to any elementary teacher's bookshelf! :)