The House of Arden [Paperback]

Edith Nesbit (Author)

Book Description

E. Nesbit’s “The House of Arden” is a very complex and interesting time-travel fantasy, paired with another Nesbit novel, “Harding's Luck.”

Orphans Edred and Elfrida Arden live with their aunt, who makes a living by keeping disagreeable lodgers. When Edred and Elfrida take an unlawful field trip to see their family’s ancestral home, the decaying Arden Castle, they meet the Mouldiwarp — a magical white mole!

Then news arrives that a distant relative has died and made Edred into Lord Arden, heir to the castle. The siblings move in, and very soon they find themselves in a magical adventure that takes them journeying into history!


[Each RSVP public domain title has been reformatted and restructured for improved ease of reading and with the Amazon Kindle specifically in mind. Each book also contains an active Table of Contents and a recommended list of other RSVP titles.]

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“I love E Nesbit — I think she is great and I identify with the way that she writes. Her children are very real children and she was quite a groundbreaker in her day.”—J K Rowling

“[Nesbit] could present everyday people caught up in supernatural situations just as naturally as she permits the realistic details of everyday life to obtrude into her world of fantasy.”—Horn Book

“A good case could be made for E. Nesbit as the best writer for children ever.” —Washington Post Book World

“For many readers - H.G. Wells and Laurence Houseman, G.K. Chesterton and Noel Coward - for these and thousands more, the most magical stories of modern times are those by that Edwardian wizard E. Nesbit…To come upon any Nesbit today, hitherto unread,…is like receiving a letter from a friend whom you have believed dead….It doesn't really matter what her children do, they are real children, quite self-sufficient, almost always very funny and rarely insufferable. 'The reason why those children are like real children,' explained Miss Nesbit, 'is that I was a child once myself, and by some fortunate magic I remember exactly how I used to feel and think about things.' And she could have gone on to say, 'The reason why I write some of the best magic books in which anything, even miracles, can happen and everyone believes in them, is because I know that anything, even miracles, can and do happen all the time.'”—Leo Lerman, The New York Times

"For younger readers, or for read-alouds, I can't resist pointing out the elegant new hardcover edition of children's lit matriarch E. Nesbit's The House of Arden ...Nesbit's breezy voice, air of camaraderie and nascent feminism, as well as her sense of humour give House of Arden great liveliness and verve... Innovative in her time, Nesbit's keen sympathy for children's feelings and humorously practical take on the results of magic are still refreshing." --The Toronto Star


"New York Review Books deserves a medal for its burgeoning collection of reissues of out-of-print children's books, books that need to see the light of day in the hands of a new generations of readers, books such as T. H. White's Mistress Masham's Repose, Wee Gillis, by Munro Leaf and Robert Lawson , a slew of books by Esther Averill and, of course, the incomparable Ms. Nesbit's The House of Arden... Magic, mayhem and time travel ensue... The book is a treasure itself, a slice of Edwardian life..." --The Globe and Mail --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Edith Nesbit (1858-1924) was an English author and poet whose children’s works were published under the name E. Nesbit. Born in London, she became active in politics, and in 1884 helped to found the Fabian Society. She wrote or collaborated on over 60 books of fiction for children, her best known including The Railway Children and The Story of the Treasure Seekers. Several of her books have been made into films. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Books of Wonder (November 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0929605691
• ISBN-13: 978-0929605692
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,765,135 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Phantastic Literature of the best kind - to be reread again, August 27, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (Perth, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: House of Arden (Hardcover)

Two 10-year-olds are the last survivors of a long line of english aristocrats.The family castle lies in ruins, but the children are determined to restore it to its former glory with the help of the long-lost family treasure. The task seems daunting, but they soon discover there's some intricate, powerful magic in the family crest.. Subsequently the treasure hunt hurtles along at breathtaking pace. The magic includes frequent trips into the turbulent (and dangerous) times of England's feudal past to discover the exact time and place where the treasure was hidden.. This book and it's sequel (or prequel?!) "Harding's Luck" can't be recommended enough. They are children's classics of the nicest kind - not the least bit sirupy - but full of adventure and magic

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Favorite books of my childhood, November 28, 2005

By 

Lovetoread (Berlin, Germany) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The House of Arden (Paperback)

I got this and "Hardings Luck" one christmas about twentyfive years ago. These stories have stayed with me throughout my adult life and I have never forgotten how I was swept away by the stories. These books are educational while being simply spellbinding...my imagination went wild, back then. Absolutely a must!

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of E. Nesbit's best, March 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The House of Arden (Paperback)

One of the delightful things about this book is that it treats children as thinking beings, yet still manages to contain all of the magic and adventure of childhood. As in all of her work, E. Nesbit tells an exciting story while encouraging the reader to consider the meaning of things. One of the best books written by one of the best children's writers of all time.