The Golden Age [Hardcover]

Kenneth Grahame (Author), Ernest H. Shepard (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2000

From the imaginative author of "The Wind in the Willows," an enchanting pair of books that map the imaginative landscape of childhood.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"There is no book about children like "The Golden Age," unless it is "Dream Days."" -- BOOKMAN

From the Publisher

Kenneth Grahame's unjustly neglected collections of vignettes, reminiscences, and inventions capture the ingenuities of a family of children -- three boys and two girls -- who live magnanimous lives nourished by the secret expeditions and private games they share. Written in the last few years of the 19th century, as Grahame looked back fondly at his own childhood, these sketches of growing up are poised artfully between two states of consciousness -- that of a child protagonist and that of a remembering adult -- and so manage to evoke both the active energies of youth and the nostalgic tenderness of reflection. This book, and a companion volume entitled "Dream Days," remain beguiling today. While their language is sophisticated, confident reader of ten and up might easily find themselves caught in the web of story the author weaves; older readers have no excuse not to revel in these marvelous volumes.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 170 pages
• Publisher: Akadine Pr (September 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585790192
• ISBN-13: 978-1585790197
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,884,332 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars K. Grahame Examines Childhood, March 16, 2001

By 

m.s. handley (Amherst, MA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Golden Age (Hardcover)

Kenneth Grahame's rich, elegant writing make "The Golden Age" a joy to read and reread. While it is a story of children in late Victorian England, it is not a childish book. Rather, it is an examination of how children view the world and are confounded by the actions of the adults around them. Grahame had a wonderful knack for presenting the child's point of view without being cutesy or condescending - no other author has as successfully done this. Nor does he present the typical Victorian view that children are all little angels and always innocent. All adults should read this book - it makes one stop and examine one's priorities and will encourage you recapture a zest for life and imagination.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book, June 4, 2010

By 

microjoe - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Golden Age (Art of Maxfield Parrish Series) (Hardcover)

My copy of this book is the 1993 hardcover from Ten Speed Press with art by Maxfiled Parrish. It is an exact copy of the 1900 edition, which I could never afford. The art by Maxfield is stunning, and of course the book itself is a treat no matter whose artwork is in it. The author knows how to rleocate in each of us, the child we once were. Adter all, he also gave us "Dream Days", and "The Wind In The Willows". You can't go wrong with this book.