The White Deer [Paperback]

James Thurber (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 23, 1968

Here is a Thurber world of enchanted deer and seven-headed dragons, of wizards and witches, of riddles and spells, of false love and true. It is the story of a beautiful princess, transformed from a deer, who assigns each of three princes a perilous labor to perform in order to win her hand. Drawings by the Author.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

James Thurber (1894—1961), one of the outstanding American humorists and cartoonists of the twentieth century, was born in Columbus, Ohio, and launched his professional writing career as a reporter for the Columbus Dispatch in 1920. He began writing for The New Yorker in 1927 after his friend E. B. White got him a job at the magazine. Though hampered by failing eyesight, Thurber wrote nearly forty books, including collections of essays, short stories, fables, and children’s stories. He won a Tony Award for his popular Broadway play, A Thurber Carnival.

Product Details

• Paperback: 132 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books (October 23, 1968)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156962640
• ISBN-13: 978-0156962643
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,135,008 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

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent little fairy tale, December 21, 2006

By 

Jesse Rouse (Kenosha, WI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The White Deer (Paperback)

This is the first time that I have read any of Mr. Thurber's writing, and I must say that I am rather impressed. This is a pleasant story about a strong, but not very wise, king and his three sons who are sent on quests to win a beautiful princess (who may or may not actually be a deer). It is a book that makes serious points through a story that is often tremendously silly.

Mr. Thurber's drawings are terribly bad, so bad that they are actually quite humerous. I must say that I have never seen such horrendous drawings in a book before, yet they somehow add to the story.

Overall grade: A

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable, but slight, February 18, 2003

By 

Glen Engel Cox (Columbus, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The White Deer (Paperback)

A little fantasy story by Thurber, not silly enough to be really funny, yet definitely not a serious story, either. If it had been written within this decade, it might have had that incredibly useless label post-modern thrown on it, as Thurber was one of those writers who delighted in wordplay that acknowledges the presence of the reader. A king and his three sons--two hearty hunters like their father and the youngest a musician and poet--corner a white deer who changes into a beautiful princess. The princess cannot remember her name or family, so she sets the three sons on quests. The question in the castle is whether the princess has been enchanted to forget her name, or is she a deer that has been enchanted to resemble a princess. Everything becomes clear in the end, like all good fairy tales, and Thurber gets to have a lot of fun getting there. Hopefully, you will too. I found this to be a little too similar to the humor of Juster's The Phantom Tollbooth for me to enjoy it wholeheartedly.

5 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellant story for the young at heart of all ages, April 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The White Deer (Audio Cassette)

Great story with masterful language. A real treat.