Bevis (Oxford World's Classics) [Paperback]

Richard Jefferies (Author), Peter Hunt (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 29, 1989 | Series: Oxford World's Classics

John Richard Jefferies (1848-87) was a renowned naturalist and author who was admired by Kenneth Grahame, Arthur Ransome and W.H.Auden among others and had a considerable influence on British children's literature. "Bevis" (written in 1882) was an extremely popular book about childhood, appreciated by adults and children alike. Based on the author's own childhood in Wiltshire, it depicted an ideal countryside in which Bevis and his friends enjoyed their adventures. The book was considered both an honest account of the amorality of boyhood and an accurate portrayal of outdoor living.

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (June 29, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0192822292
• ISBN-13: 978-0192822291
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 4.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,036,858 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 1882's Harry Potter, July 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Bevis (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)

Shortly before Richard Jefferies first became ill he wrote two children's books, Wood Magic and Bevis, published in 1881 and 1882. The latter has been widely regarded as a classic boys' book and, based on Jefferies' own childhood at Coate, it follows the adventures of two boys, Bevis and Mark. They first 'discover' a large lake close to their home which they imagine to be a vast inland sea surrounded by a jungle inhabited by savages and wild beasts. After re-fighting the Battle of Pharsalia (between Julius Caesar and Pompey) with their friends, Bevis and Mark build a raft and cross to an island in the lake. Equipped with a few provisions and their own home-made shotgun, they live among nature for several days, learning the arts of survival and much about themselves in the process. Bevis is a celebration of the vigour and freedom of a childhood spent in the countryside, 'where there was magic in everything, blades of grass and stars, the sun and the stones upon the ground'.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book!, February 6, 2006

By 

B. Lesher (Bellefonte, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bevis (Wordsworth Children's Library) (Wordsworth Children's Classics) (Paperback)

Very good book; one of my favorites. The author goes into great detail on all sorts of interesting subjects as the boys discover their secrets for themselves through trial and error: building a sailboat and learning to tack, building a working matchlock musket, an accurate sundial using the positions of the stars and the sun, etc. At the same time, it is definitely not lacking in action. The boys live in the wild for eleven days on their own, they recreate one of Caesar's battles which has an unexpected ending, and get into all sorts of trouble as a result. I would recommend this book to anyone who wishes they could go back their youth.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Touched, October 5, 2000

By 

[e-mail] (ireland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bevis: The Story of a Boy (Everyman Paperbacks) (Paperback)

My Old french teacher gave me this book to read when i was about 14. He was of the opinion that reading helped improve concentration - he was right. The book, i do not think, would appeal to the average reader today, it is very long and heavey going - but not taking anything away from the writer - it is exquisitly written. However, there is a part in the book, i think it is a father telling a son a story, or something like that and it will go with me to my grave. It's about an adventurer who, once he has summeted one mountain, moves on to the next and when he has traversed one desert looks for another, and so on. He is never content unless he is moving, seeing new things and having new exoeriences, but then he runs out of mountains to climb and forrests to explore. I will not give anymore away except to say that i would read the book again - just for that one little story.