Lassie Come Home [Hardcover]

Eric Knight (Author)

Book Description

This is from the Grosset & Dunlap Famous Dog Stories series. This edition is not illustrated; the artist for the dust jacket is not credited. Note: the only date is a 1940 copyright; this was probably published in the 1950s or 1960s. "Tweed" boards; about 8.5 inches tall, 186 pages.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 186 pages
• Publisher: G & D; Book Club edition (1940)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B000OVD97G
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,702,801 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, but NOT a book for young children., July 19, 2005

By 

A. Cowell (Knoxville, TN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lassie Come-Home (Hardcover)

I thought this was an excellent book. Despite the one review below, this edition (hardcover, Lassie standing on the tip of a hill) does not appear to be abridged in any form (from the novel), nor is it what you might call an illustrated book-- there's a small sketch to accompany the start of each chapter, and a few full page drawings.

I bought this book to read to my children. Like I said, it's a really great book, but not for children of young ages. Get them an abridged version. Here's why:

1. Knight uses sophisticated language. It's in no way geared for children, and I found myself answering a lot of questions about what words meant, or just paraphrasing the content when things looked difficult.

2. Regional dialect. The characters are all in Yorkshire or Scotland, and Knight writes their dialect accordingly. Sometimes, *I* had a hard time discerning what was being said.

3. Subject matter. The main story is Lassie's journey, but there are numerous side plots that deal with a variety of more mature subjects, probably better suited for teenagers. The Carracloughs are dealing with the father not having a job, and the subsequent tension in the household. It's post WW1, and a veteran briefly discusses being in France, and there's a longer piece about a couple's son who was killed in the war. There's discussion of the euthenasia of dogs at a pound. Robbers attack a man and kill his dog. There are dog fights, boys cruelly throwing rocks at Lassie, somebody shooting at Lassie, Lassie's terrible conditions during her journey from weather and wear, etc...

I read a little background about Eric Knight. He was a WW1 veteran (killed in a plane crash in WW2). In America, he had a small little dog which was killed by a car, where upon he got a collie named Toots, which he based Lassie's character on. Tell me he didn't write himself into his book as Rowlie the peddler!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Dog Book this Reviewer has Ever Read!, September 13, 2008

By 

Atticus (Omaha, NE, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lassie Come-Home (Paperback)

This novel is great. I have loved it since I was a little boy. My father read it to me and my brothers every night for a few months. And when he finished, I read it again.
When I pick it up now I am filled with fond memories of those months. And I must say that this book is one of my favorites.

I, with all due respect, disagree with one of the other reviewers who reviewed this item and said it was not for kids. This is the perfect book for kids, and is perfect to read aloud. The drama is engrossing, but is not too intense for youngsters. It is the perfect dog book.
A dog-lover myself, I have read a great many dog books. And this tops the list. Never before or since has an author captured so poignantly the affection between a boy and his dog. And never before or since has an author tried that affection with so many difficulties and set-backs. But, as we all know, in the end Lassie is there to greet Joe by the school gate. It's in the best three endings I've ever read (the other two being TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD and A TALE OF TWO CITIES).

This is a classic, and it's one of my favorites. I honestly cannot even begin to understand why a person would give this book anything but five stars. HIGHLY recommended.

20 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars This book is abridged, January 22, 2001

By 

J. R. Dunkle - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lassie Come-Home (Paperback)

I purchased this book believing that I was getting a new edition of the classic Eric Knight children's book. This book is a picture-book version of that classic, and the text is considerably abridged. The pictures are absolutely lovely, but they cannot, in my opinion, make up for the loss of the wonderful details, the dialogue, and the glorious description that the original contained. I applaud the editors for wanting to bring back a classic, but they would have done well to consider what made the book a classic in the first place.