The Mole had been working very hard all the morning, spring cleaning his little home...

{HISTORY}

...and so begins the beloved children's story, The Wind in the Willows by author Kenneth Grahame. First published in England in 1908, it was illustrated from the very beginning, but it wasn't until 1931 that Ernest Shepard lent his artistic talents to the story. Considered the most favorite of all Wind in the Willows illustrators, Ernest's versions of Toad, Mole, Badger, Rat and the bucolic world in which they inhabited are now indelible in the minds of readers when it comes to this wonderful story of adventurous country animals.

Often described as a children's book meant for adults, The Wind in The Willows has spurned lifelong devoted fans across generations of readers. This is the 1961 edition featuring newly rendered printings of Ernest's illustrations after the old engraving plates had worn out by decades of use. Dust jacket art containing celadon green willow leaves was designed by Italian-American printmaker and artist Valenti Angelo (1897-1982) and the decorated coverboards feature a scene from the story featuring all four of the main characters. 

Although his canon of work included four other books, The Wind in the Willows was Kenneth Grahame's best-known work. At first hard to place with a publisher in the UK and the US, eventually, The Wind in the Willows found its home with Methuen in the UK and Scribner's in the US, where it enjoyed a long-standing relationship. The book as discussed by both author and publisher went through numerous title names before settling on The Wind in The Willows. Other title contenders included Mr. Mole and His Mates, Worldlings of the Soil, Mr. Toad,  and The Wind in The Reeds. 

When Ernest Shepard came on board to illustrate the 1930s edition, Kenneth was near death. Sentimental in his relationship to the characters he created, upon first meeting with Ernest, Kenneth said " I love these little people, be kind to them."  After that meeting, Ernest explored the countryside familiarizing himself with the places Kenneth once walked. There in the woods and the river beds, the long grasses and the shade trees, that Kenneth drew inspiration for the bed-time stories he once told his son which would come to spark the worlds of Canary Cottage, Toad Hall, Pan Island, the Wild Wood and all the other nooks that made up The Wind In The Willows. 

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

• Published in 1961 by Charles Scribner's Sons, New York
• 259 pages
• Contains original dust jacket
• Illustrated by Ernest Shepard with dust jacket art by Valenti Angelo
• Includes a lovely preface by Charles Scribner IV and Ernest Shepard retelling the intimate stories of how they were involved in the publication of the book

{CONDITION}

In beautiful vintage condition. The book itself including the coverboards and interior pages are clean and bright with no spits, stains or notations other than a small 8.2 mark written in pen on the inside overboard. The dustjacket bears some chippy spots along the spine as well as sun tanning along the spine and light tanning on the corner edges of the front of the dust jacket. The chippy areas have been repaired/reinforced using archival papers to protect the overall integrity of the dust jacket. The spine is tight and all pages are intact. 

{SIZE}

Measures 8" inches (length) x 6" inches (width) x 1' inch (thickness) and weighs 1.3lbs.