This list will appeal to lifelong learners and curious readers of all ages: Lewis Carroll’s classic, Alice in Wonderland, with illustrations by Salvador Dalí; Jane Austen’s feisty, feminist first book, written when she was a pre-teen; fairytale collections that feel oddly modern, including The Original Folk and Fairytales of the Brothers Grimm and an illustrated, diversely sourced anthology of sorcerer’s apprentice tales from around the world; the definitive, richly illustrated field guide to all the sharks, rays and chimaeras of the Atlantic and Mediterranean; flashcards for backyard bird watchers; a pocket sized compendium of mushroom facts and lore; a journey into the weird and wonderful world of animal locomotion; and an amazing array of dinosaur facts and figures.
In 1865, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, an Oxford mathematician and Anglican deacon, published a story about a little girl who tumbles down a rabbit hole. Thus was the world first introduced to Alice and her pseudonymous creator, Lewis Carroll. This beautiful new edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland features rarely seen illustrations by Salvador Dalí that illuminate the surreal yet curiously logical and mathematical realm into which Alice famously falls.
Austen was only twelve or thirteen when she wrote The Beautifull Cassandra, an irreverent and humorous little masterpiece. Weighing in at 465 occasionally misspelled words, it is a complete and perfect novel-in-miniature, made up of a dedication to her older sister Cassandra and twelve chapters, each consisting of a sentence or two. This charming edition features elegant and edgy watercolor drawings by Leon Steinmetz and is edited by leading Austen scholar Claudia L. Johnson.
Originally published in 1927, Told Again is an enchanting collection of elegant fairy tales, showcasing the formidable talents of Walter de la Mare, one of the most celebrated writers of children’s literature during the first half of the twentieth century. His abundant literary gifts can be savored once more in this beautiful new edition. Nineteen adapted classics, including “Rapunzel,” “Little Red Riding-Hood,” “Rumplestiltskin,” and “The Sleeping Beauty,” are made new by de la Mare’s poetic insights and graceful prose, making these tales appropriate for younger readers. With marvelous black and white illustrations by A. H. Watson, this volume also presents a splendid introduction by Philip Pullman, the contemporary master of fantasy literature.
The Fourth Pig, originally published in 1936, is a wide-ranging collection of fairy tales, poems, and ballads that reflect the hopes and forebodings of their era but also resonate with those of today. From a retelling of “Hansel and Gretel” to the experimental title story, a dark departure from “The Three Little Pigs,” this book is a testament to the talents of Naomi Mitchison (1897–1999), who was an irrepressible phenomenon—a prominent Scottish political activist as well as a prolific author. Mitchison’s work, exemplified by the tales in this superb new edition, is stamped with her characteristic sharp wit, magical invention, and vivid political and social consciousness.
When Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm published their Children’s and Household Tales in 1812, followed by a second volume in 1815, they had no idea that such stories as “Rapunzel,” “Hansel and Gretel,” and “Cinderella” would become the most celebrated in the world. Yet few people today are familiar with the majority of tales from the two early volumes, since in the next four decades the Grimms would publish six other editions, each extensively revised in content and style. For the very first time, The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm makes available in English all 156 stories from the 1812 and 1815 editions. These narrative gems, newly translated and brought together in one beautiful book, are accompanied by sumptuous new illustrations from award-winning artist Andrea Dezsö.
“The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” might conjure up images of Mickey Mouse from the Disney film Fantasia, or of Harry Potter. As this anthology reveals, however, “sorcerer’s apprentice” tales—in which a young person rebels against, or complies with, an authority who holds the keys to magical powers—have been told through the centuries from classical times to today. This collection brings together more than fifty sorcerer’s apprentice stories by a plethora of writers, including Ovid, Sir Walter Scott, and the Brothers Grimm. Twenty specially commissioned black-and-white illustrations by noted artist Natalie Frank bring the stories to visual life.
The waters of the northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea are home to an amazing variety of sharks, rays and chimaeras. This comprehensive and easy-to-use field guide covers all 146 species found in the Mediterranean, the waters of the European Atlantic and Iceland, along all the Scandinavian coasts, in the Black Sea and as far south as the Canary Islands.
The sauropod dinosaurs roamed the planet for millions of years, with creatures ranging from the smallest of the sauropods, Magyarosaurus, to the huge Argentinosaurus. This illustrated book of records is an essential compendium of sauropod facts and figures—from the biggest and the oldest to the smallest and the rarest. It covers every known species and features more than 2,000 diagrams and technical drawings along with hundreds of full-color reconstructions of specimens.
Backyard Birds Flash Cards, designed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, makes bird watching even more fun! This lavish boxed set focuses on the birds in eastern and central North America, helping you to maximize your chances of identifying species particular to your region, neighborhood, and backyard. The cards come with detailed information for 110 species, including useful range maps, photos of female birds when plumage differs, and QR codes.
Backyard Birds Flash Cards, designed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, makes bird watching even more fun! This lavish boxed set focuses on the birds in western North America, helping you to maximize your chances of identifying species particular to your region, neighborhood, and backyard. The cards come with detailed information for 110 species, including useful range maps, photos of female birds when plumage differs, and QR codes.
Fungipedia presents a delightful A–Z treasury of mushroom lore. With more than 180 entries—on topics as varied as Alice in Wonderland, chestnut blight, medicinal mushrooms, poisonings, Santa Claus, and waxy caps—this collection will transport both general readers and specialists into the remarkable universe of fungi.
Insects walk on water, snakes slither, and fish swim. Animals move with astounding grace, speed, and versatility: how do they do it, and what can we learn from them? How to Walk on Water and Climb up Walls takes readers on a wondrous journey into the world of animal motion.