The Canterville Ghost (Paperback)

~ Oscar Wilde (Author), L Zwerger (Author), O Wilde (Author), Lisbeth Zwerger (Illustrator) "When Mr. Hiram B. Otis, the American minister, bought Canterville Chase, every one told him he was doing a very foolish thing, as there was..." (more)
Key Phrases: Lord Canterville, Canterville Chase, Sir Simon (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up Lovers of Oscar Wilde's stories will delight in this new illustrated version of The Canterville Ghost if the picture book format does not keep them from finding it. Wilde's story of an American family who moves into Canterville Chase and annoys a weary ghost with their lack of belief in him is a wry commentary on the ways of British nobility and of their hard-headed American cousins. Like many of Wilde's tales, this one is filled with sophisticated allusions to his social and political milieu, but ends as sentimental romance. Zwerger's wry pictures highlight this tone beautifully. Her toothless ghost is round and comical, as would suit a ghost whom no one fears, and her heroine, Virginia, is young and sweetly boyish. All of the illustrations are set against misty gray watercolor backgrounds except for the climactic scene, echoed on the front cover, in which the tiny huntsmen on the wallpaper call out to Virginia to ``Go Back.'' This will make a fine read-aloud for audiences of secondary students who are prepared to savor Wilde's ironic humor and Zwerger's delicate watercolors. Barbara Chatton, College of Education, University of Wyoming, Laramie
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 7^-12. Although first published in 1891, this ghost story remains a classic of Wildean wit and Victorian sentimentality. True, some of the references to melodrama and nineteenth-century Anglo-American attitudes may elude modern readers, but the basic story of a hardheaded American family that buys a haunted British manor house and proceeds to drive the resident ghost nearly crazy with its skepticism is still a delight, as are Wilde's epigrams: "We have really everything in common with America nowadays, except, of course, language." Austrian illustrator Zwerger, a master of the exquisite line, has captured the look of the period and the liveliness of the story in this oversize volume. Michael Cart --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback
• Publisher: NorthSouth; 1 edition (November 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558586113
• ISBN-13: 978-1558586116
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 7.9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,291,705 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sympathy for the phantom, January 24, 2001

By	Guillermo Maynez (Mexico, Distrito Federal Mexico) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This "updated-gothic" tale is really a wonder. A typical American family of late-XIXth century buys a manor in England, the propery of Lord Canterville. Turns out that an ancestor of this lord, who holds the same name, is a ghost still wandering around the big and old house. And he is terribly annoyed and disturbed by the irreverent behavior of the Americans who, in the first place, don't believe in ghosts. That is, until they discover him and make him the target of their irreverence. Every day, Washington, one of the children, erases a centuries-old blood stain from the floor of the library, and every night the phantom paints it again, increasingly in strange colors. He grows more and more disheartened, until Virginia, the nice daughter of the family, comes along... Wilde's is a funny tale, a funny comparison between Americans and British, a compassionate look at ghosts, and an unforgettable story with the characteristic wit and smartness of a fine craftsman of literature.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A favorite ghost story, April 29, 2004

By	Sarah Sammis "Avid BookCrosser" (Hayward, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It's rare for a ghost story to be sympathetic towards the ghost or to flush out the ghosts character. Usually the ghost is just there to frighten the main characters and the readers. The Canterville Ghost however does make the ghost an interesting and understandable character without letting the suspense suffer.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deliciously funny, January 16, 2001

By	Lesley West (St James, Western Australia) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Oscar Wilde was the master of witty and amusing stories, and this little novella is no different. It tells the tale of the poor Canterville Ghost, whose very existence is made miserable by a family of Americans who not only do not believe in him (despite his best efforts at terrorising him), but who do unspeakable things like removing the eternal blood stain in the library.

The American family are really well drawn with the children being particularly successful in making the ghost miserable. And the ghost himself - well, we find ourselves having some symapthy for him, and the end of the story is quite poignant.

It is a wonderful story for an older child, but also for an adult. It is certainly one of my all time favourites.