The Railway Children

by E. Nesbit, Anna South (Introduction)

Overview

Designed to appeal to the book lover, the Macmillan Collector's Library is a series of beautifully bound pocket-sized gift editions of much loved classic titles. Bound in real cloth, printed on high quality paper, and featuring ribbon markers and gilt edges, Macmillan Collector's Library are books to love and treasure.

Peter, Phyllis and Roberta’s lives change overnight when their father is taken away by two strangers. They move from the comfort of their London home to a small country cottage, and are left to their own devices while their mother writes day and night to support the family. But with their new poverty comes more freedom than they ever dreamed of, and the railway line at the bottom of their garden offers the trio a world of new friendships that will change their lives forever.

A tale of blissful independence and adventure, Nesbit’s beloved children’s classic is a timeless story of joy, hope and the importance of family.

This Macmillan Collector’s Library edition features the beautiful illustrations of C. E. Brock, and an afterword by Anna South.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781509843169
Publisher:	Macmillan Collector's Library
Publication date:	11/07/2017
Edition description:	Reissue
Pages:	280
Product dimensions:	3.99(w) x 6.30(h) x 0.67(d)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Edith Nesbit was born in 1858 into a middle-class family of declining fortunes. After surviving a tough and nomadic childhood she met her husband, Hubert Bland, in 1877 and married him three years later whilst pregnant with their first child. Nesbit began writing in the 1880s when Bland's business failed, forcing her to support their growing family. Considered one of the first modern writers for children, Nesbit’s novels included The Story of The Treasure Seekers (1899), Five Children and It (1902) and The Railway Children (1906). An ardent socialist, Nesbit was one of the founding members of the Fabian Society. She died in Kent in 1924.

Read an Excerpt

They were not railway children to begin with. I don't suppose they had ever thought about railways except as a means of getting to Maskelyne and cook's, the Pantomime, Zoological Gardens and Madame Tussaud's. They were just ordinary suburban children, and they lived with their Father and Mother in an ordinary red-brick-fronted villa, with coloured glass in the front door, a tiled passage that was called a hall, a bathroom with hot and cold water, electric bells, French windows, and a good deal of white paint, and 'every modern convenience', as the house-agents say.There were three of them. Roberta was the eldest. Of course, Mothers never have favourites, but if their Mother had a favourite, it might have been Roberta. Next came Peter, who wished to be an Engineer when he grew up; and the youngest was Phyllis, who meant extremely well.Mother did not spend all her time in paying dull calls to dull ladies, and sitting dully at home waiting for dull ladies to pay calls to her. She was almost always there, ready to play with the children, and read to them, and help them to do their home-lessons. Besides this she used to write stories for them while they were at school, and read them aloud after tea, and she always made up funny pieces of poetry for their birthdays  and for other great occasions, such as the christening of new kittens, or the furnishing of the dolls house, or the time when they were getting over the mumps.These three lucky children always had everything they needed: pretty clothes, good fires, a lovely nursery with heaps of toys, and a Mother Goose wallpaper. They had a kind and merry nursemaid, and a dog who was called James and who was their very own. They also had a Father who was just perfect - never cross, never unjust, and always ready for a game - at least, if at any time he was not ready, he always had an excellent reason for it, and explained the reason to the children so interestingly and funnily that they felt sure he couldn't help himself.You will think that they ought to have been very happy. And so they were, but they did not know how happy till the pretty life in Edgecombe Villa was over and done with, and they had to live a very different life indeed...  

(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "The Railway Children"
by .
Copyright © 2011 E. Nesbit.
Excerpted by permission of Penguin Young Readers Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

1 The Beginning of Things 1

2 Peter's Coalmine 24

3 The Old Gentleman 52

4 The Engine-Burglar 76

5 Prisoners and Captives 103

6 Saviours of the Train 122

7 For Valour 143

8 The Amateur Fireman 167

9 The Pride of Perks 188

10 The Terrible Secret 211

11 The Hound in the Red Jersey 231

12 What Bobbie Brought Home 257

13 The Hound's Grandfather 277

14 The End 300

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"They were not railway children to begin with. I don't suppose they had ever thought about railways except as a means of getting to Maskelyne and Cook's, the Pantomime, Zoological Gardens, and Madame Tussaud's. They were just ordinary suburban children, and they lived with their Father and Mother in an ordinary red-brick-fronted villa, with colored glass in the front door, a tiled passage that was called a hall, a bathroom with hot and cold water, electric bells, French windows, and a good deal of white paint, and 'every modern convenience', as the house-agents say."

Editorial Reviews

"Her child characters were remarkable in her day because they are so entirely human. They are intelligent, vain, aggressive, humorous, witty, cruel, compassionate. . . in fact, they are like adults."  —Gore Vidal

"Stunning. . . these covers just draw you in and the books themselves feel good in your hand."  —ShelfTalker

From the Publisher

Virginia Leishman’s reading of this wonderful novel about the innocence and adventure of childhood is in top form. Her voice is gentle and genuine, drawing in listeners of all ages. As she tells the story of three children who move from their stately London home to a poor cottage in the country when their father is suddenly taken away, her voice moves between characters with ease, making clear transitions between the children, their mother, and the various grown-ups they befriend. This unabridged classic is an absolute listening pleasure, and worth listening to again and again. S.E.S. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine

APR/MAY 00 - AudioFile