She Stoops to Conquer (Dover Thrift Editions)

Book Description

Charming satire of the sentimental comedies of the day has entertained audiences since 1773. A young lady poses as a serving girl to win the heart of a young gentleman too shy to court ladies of his own class. Many delightful deceits, hilarious turns of plot must be played out before the play concludes happily. Notes.

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MISS HARDCASTLE. (Alone). Lud, this news of papa's puts me all in a flutter. Young, handsome: these he put last; but I put them foremost. Sensible, good-natured; I like all that. But then reserved and sheepish; that's much against him. Yet can't he be cured of his timidity, by being taught to be proud of his wife? Yes, and can't I--But I vow I'm disposing of the husband before I have secured the lover.

Customer Reviews:

A very funny and insightful comedy........2005-02-16

This play is a wonderful little comedic satire that is as funny now as when it was written in 1773. Mr. Goldsmith's characters are wonderful, and the storyline is funny without being "sappy". His characters are so very human! He does not shy away from exposing human frailities, and he does it in such a way that no one would take offence to it. His characters make common human mistakes based on misunderstandings and practical jokes, but his characters are not tragically changed from these occurences. They, as well as the audience, understand human frailties, and look upon these as things that help us grow. This is a jovial, friendly play that is well worth the time it takes to read it. I find that reading plays is a nice alternate to reading long novels. A little different from short stories. I like the economies of a play. So much is written and so much is implied all in five scenes.

A Forgotten Gem........2004-08-13

SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER is one of the best plays to be written during the Restoration era. It's full of wit and great one liners, not to mention that it's a comic satire on the dramatic conventions of the day. The play is quite funny and when performed is one of the few "classical" (meaning anything pre-20th century) plays that all audiences seem to enjoy. Unfortunately, Goldsmith's masterpiece is seldom performed nowadays. Most American's have never heard of Oliver Goldsmith (is that the guy who directed PLATOON? is a typical response), let alone SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER. SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER instead tends to be one of those plays that everyone in theatre knows about, but that most people outside of the theatre universe don't even know exists. It's a shame because the play is a masterpiece of wit and comic timing and has so much to offer to modern day audiences.

Among the Most Read and Performed English Comedies.......2003-12-31

Few English plays dating from the eighteenth century appeal to modern audiences. For much of that period comedies were characterized by an exaggerated sentimentality and intense moralizing. Independently, the playwrights Oliver Goldsmith and Richard Brinsley Sheridan rejected this moralizing mode, returning to the English stage a humorous, mildly satirical form of comedy.

In a short period they created three plays that are still enjoyed today: She Stoops to Conquer (Goldsmith, 1773), The School for Scandal (Sheridan, 1775) and The Rivals (Sheridan, 1777).

In recent months I have read all three play. All are quite good, but I especially liked She Stoops to Conquer and The School for Scandal. While The School for Scandal is widely admired for its witty dialogue, She Stoops to Conquer offers the most hilarious situations.

The basic theme in She Stoops to Conquer is familiar. The guardians, her father Mr. Hardcastle and her aunt Mrs. Hardcastle, have arranged a suitable marriage for young Miss Hardcastle. She, of course, has other plans. Oliver Goldsmith adroitly transformed this overly used situation into delightful comedy. The plot is complicated by a shy suitor, friends with their own plans of elopement, and an unruly prankster, all leading to utter confusion in the rustic Hardcastle household. I quickly became engaged with the ridiculous happenings; I read She Stoops to Conquer in a single sitting. Five stars.

Possible Interest - Another Comedy and Two Moralizing Plays:

John Gay's The Beggar's Opera, first staged in 1728 in London, was another exception to the moralizing trend in the eighteenth century. This delightful, satirical comedy is considered the first modern musical. Five stars.

In the prologue to The Conscious Lovers (1722) Sir Richard Steele states his objective: "To chasten wit, and moralize the stage" and to "Redeem from long contempt the comic name". Steele's objective was to instruct and to ennoble rather than to amuse. Humor is clearly subordinate. Two stars (plus perhaps 1 star for historical interest).

George Lillo's moralizing melodrama, The London Merchant (1731), was a resounding success in the summer of 1731 and was apparently performed 179 times by 1776. Its repetitious moral lessons seemingly resonated with eighteenth century audiences. Three stars.

Excellent.......2002-12-18

This play is a rollicking satire on the British caste system of that era, seen through the mischief, mayhem, and mistaken identities of this work. Almost a must-read!

Excellent!.......2002-12-18

This play is a delightful satire about mischief, mishaps, and mistaken identities that throws a quirky but revealing light upon the British caste system of that era. This is a great work, and almost a must-read.

The Vicar of Wakefield (Oxford World's Classics)

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The Vicar is a Swell Guy!
Sentimental but charming
If only a vicar was a type of weapon...
Sometimes the classics can be boring
A billiant novel written by a brilliant man!

The Vicar of Wakefield (Oxford World's Classics)
Oliver Goldsmith
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0192805126

Book Description

'He loved all mankind; for fortune prevented him from knowing there were rascals.' Oliver Goldsmith's hugely successful novel of 1766 remained for generations one of the most highly regarded and beloved works of eighteenth-century fiction. It depicts the fall and rise of the Primrose family, presided over by the benevolent vicar, the narrator of a fairy-tale plot of impersonation and deception, the abduction of a beautiful heroine and the machinations of an aristocratic villain. By turns comic and sentimental, the novel's popularity owes much to its recognizable depiction of domestic life and loving family relationships. Regarded by some as a straightforward and well-intentioned novel of sentiment, and by others as a satire on the very literary conventions and morality it seems to embody, The Vicar of Wakefield contains, in the figure of the vicar himself, one of the most harmlessly simply and unsophisticated yet also ironically complex narrators ever to appear in English fiction.

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The description of the family of Wakefield; in which a kindred likeness prevails as well of minds as of persons

Customer Reviews:

The Vicar is a Swell Guy!.......2007-03-08

"Now," cried I, holding up my children, "now let the flames burn on, and all my possessions perish. Here they are, I have saved my treasure. Here, my dearest, here are our treasures, and we shall yet be happy."

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is a wonderful quick read about a man (family) over coming adversities in life, yet continuing to hold on to and cherish what is important in life. Dr. Primrose never becomes jaded after all that is thrown at him. Just when you think he can take no more, more is piled onto him. In the end, of course, all is well. While I wouldn't call the book exciting itself, there are exciting elements...kidnappings, death, cheating, and more. I enjoyed it so much because Dr. Primrose is truly a stand up guy and one we can all learn lessons from.

Sentimental but charming .......2007-02-08

Regarded by some as a sentimental novel, Oliver Goldsmith's "The Vicar of Wakefield" (1766) describes the fortunes and misfortunes of the first-person narrator, Dr. Primrose, along with his wife and six children. The narrative is chiefly concerned with a description of Primrose's increasing adversity and the final restoration and elevation of his condition, in a story-line reminiscent of the Biblical book of Job. First the Primrose family loses their fortune, their home is engulfed by a fire, and eventually Primrose himself finds himself in prison, one daughter reportedly dead, another abducted, and a son jailed. But all is in the end restored as the narrative returns to the idyllic life of the Primrose home and its inhabitants as described at the end of the first chapter: "In short, a family likeness prevailed through all, and properly speaking, they had but one character, that of being all equally generous, credulous, simple, and inoffensive." The circle is completed with the closing words of the final chapter: "As soon as dinner was over, according to my old custom, I requested that the table might be taken away, to have the pleasure of seeing all my family assembled once more by a cheerful fireside. My two little ones sat upon each knee, the rest of the company by their partners. I had nothing now on this side of the grave to wish for, all my cares were over, my pleasure was unspeakable. It now only remained that my gratitude in good fortune should exceed my former submission in adversity." Although Primrose is a vicar, his congregational and pastoral charge rarely comes into the picture, and it is more the events in this family circle that are the focus of his story.

In the face of more than abundant adversity, Primrose remains the eternal optimist, a sweet and naïve vicar who portrays himself unaffected by the worldliness and faults he sees in the lives of those around him. Nowhere is his naivete more evident than when he falls prey to the same deceptive character he has previously chastized his son for falling victim to. Yet Primrose remains blind to his own flawed character with its intellectual and spiritual pride. For example, when his half-dead son makes his entrance in the closing stages, Primrose affirms his own freedom from vanity, although the statement in which he makes this bold assertion suggests the opposite: "He now therefore entered, handsomely dressed in his regimentals; and without vanity (for I am above it), he appeared as handsome a fellow as ever wore a military dress."

While one must at times roll one's eyes at his excessive parade of virtue, the reader cannot help feel a strong measure of sympathy for his overly sweet character and good intentions. When his house burns down, rather than mourn the loss of his worldly possessions, he rejoices in the safety of his children: "'Now,' cried I, holding up my children, 'now let the flames burn on, and all my possessions perish. Here they are, I have saved my, treasure. Here, my dearest, here are our treasures, and we shall yet be happy.'" When misfortune results in his incarceration, he sees prison as an opportunity to convert the ungodly: "I therefore promised to repeat my lecture next day, and actually conceived some hopes of making a reformation here; for it had ever been my opinion, that no man was past the hour of amendment, every heart lying open to the shafts of reproof, if the archer could but take a proper aim." Even his most malicious oppressors are reason for optimism: "... as my oppressor has been once my parishioner, I hope one day to present him up an unpolluted soul at the eternal tribunal." And upon discovering that Jenkinson's account about the death of his daughter is false, he chooses to be overjoyed at her return rather than angered by the deception: "'How could you,' cried I, turning to Mr Jenkinson, 'how could you add to my miseries by the story of her death! But it matters not, my pleasure at finding her again, is more than a recompence for the pain.' "

While Primrose's strength of spiritual character, moral fortitude and steadfastness in the face of crisis is exaggerated to the point of humor and wild improbability, it is nonetheless admirable in what it suggests about the human spirit. He sleeps untroubled while in prison and having suffered the most grave misfortune and being deprived of all that is dear to him: "After my usual meditations, and having praised my heavenly corrector, I laid myself down and slept with the utmost tranquility till morning." And rather than grieve over his misfortune after his house has been engulfed with flames, he sees it as a positive benefit, for it humbles his wife's pride and makes her more receptive to the return of his daughter from prostitution: "I proceeded to prepare them for the reception of our lost one, and tho' we had nothing but wretchedness now to impart, I was willing to procure her a welcome to what we had. This task would have been more difficult but for our recent calamity, which had humbled my wife's pride, and blunted it by more poignant afflictions." And when too much laughter and merriness displeases Primrose in preparation for the solemn ceremony of marriage, he makes it the occasion for spiritual correction: "I told them of the grave, becoming and sublime deportment they should assume upon this Mystical occasion, and read them two homilies and a thesis of my own composing, in order to prepare them." And even some of the other characters share this virtuous approach, for rather than commiserate with Wilmot upon the loss of his fortune to deception, the senior squire remarks: "your present disappointment does not entirely displease me. Your immoderate passion for wealth is now justly punished."

Like Job, Primrose suffers at the hand of increasing disasters, but unlike his Biblical counterpart, he doesn't go to the ash-heap to mourn or struggle with his condition or grief. He remains constant in hope and optimism, sees in the greatest disasters opportunities for spiritual correction and growth, and always retains the prospect of improving his fortunes, if not in this life then in the hereafter. Despite his overly optimistic character, this naïve and simple man who wants to serve God and his family presents a somewhat charming figure. We are curious what will be the outcome of his life, and our sense of expectation is heightened by the twists and turns of the plot, which for an 18th century work is reasonably fast paced and quite accessible for modern readers. While improbable, Primrose's journey from fortune to misfortune and back again might prove morally instructive not just to its protagonist, but to us all. - GODLY GADFLY

If only a vicar was a type of weapon..........2006-12-05

And lo' my children, the lord said unto thee that... wait a moment... this is the modern age why am I talking like a medieval preacher? Maybe that's because the profoundly stupefying effect that The Viccar of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith had on me.
The story starts off in a monotone text voice and goes on like that for the entire one hundred ninety nine pages, give or take a few pages depending on version. The story follows a preacher and his family as they fall from grace into poverty. A merchant steals all the money that Viccar Primrose has invested, leaving them poor and forcing them to move out from their home in Wakefield. The book continues and follows the family's trials and tribulations.
This book was extraordinarily hard to read, I would not recommend it to anyone that is not a college level English student, and even then only at your own risk. No words are in quotes, the fourth wall is broken constantly, and the main character just preaches what the author thinks about everything. It is probably one of the hardest books I have ever read, and I am a junior English major in college.
The characters are amazingly flat, the plot has some redeeming qualities though. The plot shows how the people of the time lived, had fun, and loved; not to mention how mothers regarded their children. The ending though was so... contrived that it ruined whatever interest the main story had.
All in all, this story was a waste of time. If you want to learn how things worked in that age, there are plenty of stories that are easier to read, much more accurate, and have less author interruption then this book. Its negatives greatly outweigh its positives, so unless you have to read it, stay away.

Sometimes the classics can be boring.......2006-07-26

Oh well, sometimes you get the bear and sometimes the bear gets you. Reading the classics can be boring as this classic illustrates. Goldsmith should have kept to poetry and left the novel alone else he would not have produced this mess in the form of a philosophical romance, a loosely constructed story held together by ideas. Rasselas (Johnson) and Candide (Voltaire) are much better and worth a look. Meanwhile why bother with a story wherein the hero moves episodically from security through trials to the discovery that happiness and what truths we may grasp lie at home and in the human breast. The ideas are quaint and silly. The writing stylized and artificial. The characters impossible. The plot preposterous. You have better things to do with your time - like sleep.

A billiant novel written by a brilliant man!.......2005-02-02

Although Goldsmith was brilliant, he was not an easy man to know and to like, and his egoism and unevenness of character does come out in this book. He was always misunderstood, as geniuses often are. This book has assured Goldsmith a place high up in the literature food chain. The theme of the book resembles somewhat the Book of Job from The Bible. Our hero is a good and innocent man who remains steadfast in faith and unbroken in courage as he faces numerous disasters. It is a story about the family Primrose and its fall from it's a place of comfort and security. The family consists of a mother and father and six children. Mr. Goldsmith's genius is in characterization, as well as his ability to evoke a pure goodness of heart and warmth and generosity of people of simple faith and warm generosity. This little book is truly a masterpiece.

How Can We Keep from Singing: Music and the Passionate Life

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Huge awakening to a cross-pollinization
How can I keep from Groaning?
What happens when you make a mistake?
nice!
I'm hooked after one paragraph.

How Can We Keep from Singing: Music and the Passionate Life
Joan Oliver Goldsmith
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0393323641

Book Description

In this "rousing book that salutes the passion, the joy, and the pleasures of singing, music, and practice" (Spirituality and Health), Joan Oliver Goldsmith celebrates America's over 20 million singers and "teaches us that...to pursue a creative passion is a true act of love" (New Age). She guides us not only behind the scenes of choirs and ensembles but inside the making and hearing of harmonious sound. "Her words soar, growl, cry and whisper. And they inspire" (Publishers Weekly, starred review). As Goldsmith shares wisdom about finding one's voice, making mistakes, teaching, friendship, and the essential elements of creativity, "you'll learn [that] much of what she's learned from music is applicable to almost any life" (Minneapolis Star Tribune).

Customer Reviews:

Huge awakening to a cross-pollinization.......2006-03-14

I've sung chorally since early in grade school, quit during the graduate years and growing a family, and when "catastrophe" hit (job, marriage, home loss- simultaneously; like the author), I also found a deep grounding in knowing that there was "rehearsal on Monday nights".

I'd not previously drawn parallels between singing and life. I just didn't recognize the metaphors.

But I've learned from this author's ability to do so, and I am grateful for her insights. I feel enriched in that way.

I've spent a bunch of time in spiritual literature. meditation, and in prayer; I've dedicated time to singing (yes- auditioned choruses; semi-paid choir gigs) but the parallels never crytallized.

They do for me in this book. I'm thankful for her awakening me to ways of relating singing to aspects of my daily life, enhancing my memories, and enriching my future in singing. And in looking for the parallels in life.

It is fun- to have my life's most significantly enjoyable times tied to how I was/am actually living; and see the relationships!

Before I go, in my view, the professional/commercial reviews of this book on Amazon and elsewhere were patronizing; assuming that the goal was a "professional" career and an apologetic for its failure.

Couldn't be further from the truth. There was not much, if any, recognition of the idea that this might have been a labor of genuine love and portrayal of amateur singing!

Or that any of the professional reviewers managed to find out the latin root of "amateur".

How can I keep from Groaning?.......2002-03-21

Perhaps I'm being too cruel. This was a "Nice" book. Ms Goldsmith has thoughtfuly considered the activity which gives her the most joy in life: emotionally, philisophically and even technically (from a layman's point-of-view). I felt as if I was reading her diary...that the diary had been written with me peering over her shoulder. I was very uncomfortable with that--as if she was waiting for my acknowlegement or approval.
The subtitle speaks of 'Music and the Passionate Life', but Ms Goldsmith's writing implies that she's seeking little more than comfort in life. Ho-hum.
Exploration of human experience or gooey sentiment? I prefer mine dry, I suppose. Make me laugh, make me cry, just don't expect for me to sit still when you rattle on....

What happens when you make a mistake?.......2002-02-01

My typical reaction in situations when I didn't succeed, when I made mistakes, was to run away. I would stop doing the activity (change jobs, refuse to play softball again, etc.) Thus, I used to hide and pretend that I knew what I was doing in choir rehersal. But I came to realize that I couldn't sing out if I was afraid of making a mistake. And the best way to do that is to not hide my mistakes, but to try to learn from them, asking questions. That the point about rehersing is to practice - and that making mistakes is part of that (and part of life). Joan Oliver Goldsmith has been there, and has learned to learn from her mistakes. Reading her book helped me learn from mine.

nice!.......2001-10-11

This is a very good book, definitely worth reading. The writer manages to inspire readers to take passionate risks and never feel its to late to live one's dream. I recommend that anybody in the "seeking" mood check this book out!

I'm hooked after one paragraph........2001-09-11

I sing in the Minnesota Chorale with Joan, and she read part of her book to us tonight. To hear her speak with that much passion was an inspiration to us all - there were tears and thunderous applause. I just bought the book and so can't truly speak for the contents - but I can speak plenty about the woman who wrote the book, and that is recommendation in itself. I can't wait to get reading!

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The Deserted Village
Oliver Goldsmith
Manufacturer: Kessinger Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Vicar of Wakefield: A Tale (Oxford World's Classics)

Average customer rating:

Super-Pollyanna Rev Rides Lifeýs Roller Coaster
The beleaguered family man
A new book of Job
An intelligent book
Not something Iýd recommend.

The Vicar of Wakefield: A Tale (Oxford World's Classics)
Oliver Goldsmith
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0192839403

Customer Reviews:

Super-Pollyanna Rev Rides Lifeýs Roller Coaster.......2003-06-06

The Vicar is imprisoned for debt, lying on a bed of straw in a damp jail cell in 18th century England. His elder daughter has died of grief after having been tricked, seduced, and discarded by a Villain. His son, in the navy, has been dragged to jail in chains for trying to fight a duel, his other children and wife are starving, his house has burned down and the Vicar's arm severely burnt. Now, let's see----what else can we pile on here ? Oh, yes, another daughter has been kidnapped by ruffians. What should he do ? How about delivering a sermon on happiness and the benign nature of Providence to his fellow convicts ? This dude is wildly naïve and over-the-top optimistic or I'm a monkey's uncle !! If fantastic coincidences and deus ex machina moments are your bag, you are going to love THE VICAR OF WAKEFIELD. If you are also a "phan of philosophy", then you may thrill to this 18th century version of the Perils of Pauline salted through with sincere observations on Life and generously long moral soliloquies. There are earnest lectures on capital punishment and the virtues of monarchy. The benefits to society of everyone's remaining in their place are also touted. But honestly, for 21st century readers, THE VICAR OF WAKEFIELD is not a novel to admire in a literary sense. The characters lack depth or subtlety; many move across the stage like puppets. I understand that as an 18th century work, it is of interest to scholars and students of English literature or maybe, literary history in general. For them, Goldsmith's novel may deserve more stars---you may, indeed, enjoy the English language usages of 250 years ago. But as a literary work, in comparison with all that is available to us now, no, I don't think it deserves more. You can learn about conditions and ways of thought at the time by reading the book and it may indeed show the indestructability of the human spirit (as the Afterword in my edition suggested). However, large numbers of other writers have shown the same thing, only they have done it better.

The beleaguered family man.......2003-05-21

Charles Primrose, the protagonist of Oliver Goldsmith's "The Vicar of Wakefield," is a living symbol of the combination of ingenuousness and bad luck; a man so naive and unfortunate yet so deadpan and earnest, he would not only be suckered into buying the worst lemon in the used car lot, but walk out of the salesman's office with a "Kick Me" sign taped to his back. What keeps him going is an infectious cheerfulness, an almost quixotic faith in human virtue, and a devotion to the integrity of his family, even though they are often the cause of his troubles.

Primrose, an Anglican minister and the father of six children, begins accumulating misfortunes from the very beginning of the novel. Right before his eldest son George's wedding, he learns that the merchant with whom he has deposited his sizable inheritance has skipped town with all his money. Now impecunious, he is compelled to move his family to a village where he becomes a tenant farmer under an arrogant and devious young landlord named Thornhill. On the way, they meet an itinerant man of questionable background named Burchell who takes a liking to his daughter Sophia.

Life at the farm is fraught with woe, particularly with regard to money. Both Primrose and his son Moses get cheated out of horses they are selling; his daughters lose the opportunity to secure good positions in London because of false rumors being spread about his family; after Olivia runs off with Thornhill, he pursues her and returns to find his house in flames. When Primrose fails to pay the rent and insults Thornhill, who has spurned Olivia in favor of the very girl of whom George was deprived, he is thrown in jail.

But wait, it gets worse. Sophia is kidnapped by a ruffian; Olivia pines away in misery and dies; George, who has left home to make his own way in the world, ends up in Primrose's jail in a return considerably less dignified than that of the Prodigal Son. Primrose, however, remains confident in the glory of Providence and decides to deliver sermons to reform the other prisoners who, unsurprisingly, initially resist his efforts. That they eventually start taking him seriously only implies that they may be even more gullible than he is.

This is a picaresque novel, somewhat in the spirit of "Don Quixote" or "Tom Jones," featuring an intentionally flawed hero who undergoes improbable adventures; and if it appears that I've given away too much of the plot, keep in mind this is a genre in which nothing is quite as it seems. In fact, the denouement is so utterly silly and even stupid that I can't help but respect it for its brazen absurdity; it's really the only ending befitting a dupe as likeable as Primrose.

A new book of Job.......2001-02-09

In the Bible, Job is a wealthy and happy man who is put to test by God, in order to settle a bet with the Devil. Primrose, the vicar of Wakefield, seems to suffer the same fate: first, he loses all his money; then, a man seduces his daughter and all manners of trouble set upon he and his family. But the man will never surrender. His undestructible good humor and wit, his reliance on philosophy and religion, allow him to endure all kinds of calamities, until the happy end. This is not a moralizaing book: it is pure, intelligent fun, with a message not lectured to us, but insinuated. This novel deserves to be put out of the infamous "classic" shelf (the one that condemns masterpieces of art to become "boring" for lazy readers) and into the public. It's very much worth it.

An intelligent book.......1999-11-05

I liked this book, but did not get all five stars because of the slowness and somewhat predictable ending. But it was good writing, despite being a little bit stereotypical, but here i am chastizing a book which i gave four stars.

Not something Iýd recommend........1999-08-08

As I was reading this book I found that all I was hearing had to do with how brilliant the men were and how simple the women were. Mr. Wakefield (the father) made several references to how well he "trained" his wife. In another instance, the women were only chatting but the men were arguing philosophy. I also found this book to be a tedious read. I wouldn't waste my time on it.

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Oliver Goldsmith: A Biography
Washington Irving
Manufacturer: BiblioBazaar
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Product Description

In the course of a revised edition of my works I have come to a biographical sketch of Goldsmith, published several years since.

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The Vicar of Wakefield
Oliver Goldsmith
Manufacturer: Signet / NAL
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0000CKVH4

Ride a Cock Horse and Other Rhymes and Stories (Everyman's Library Children's Classics)

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One of the most important children's illustrators ever

Ride a Cock Horse and Other Rhymes and Stories (Everyman's Library Children's Classics)
Randolph Caldecott , Oliver Goldsmith , William Cowper , and et al
Manufacturer: Everyman's Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

ASIN: 1857159349

Customer Reviews:

One of the most important children's illustrators ever.......2005-12-17

I'm amazed to discover that after being in print for 10 years, this beautiful book has never yet been reviewed here.

A 1906 review of his series of children's books states, "The Genius of Randolph Caldecott will stand for all time. Caldecott is lord of the nursery. No one has ever approached him. He is supreme. Every nursery -- every child's bookshelf that does not contain his Picture Books is poor indeed."

This is as true today, a century later, as when it was written. Maurice Sendak has stated, "As in a song, where every shade and nuance of the poem is heightened and given greater meaning by the music, so Caldecott's pictures illuminate the rhymes. This is the REAL Mother Goose -- marvellously imagined improvisations that playfully and rhythmically bounce off and around the verses without ever incongruously straying. If any name deserves to be permanently joined with that of Mother Goose, it is that of Randolph Caldecott. His picture books should be among the first volumes given to every child."

Randolph Caldecott's name is celebrated in the Caldecott Medal, awarded each year since 1938 by the children's section of the American Library Association, for the most distinguished children's picture book. Ironically, though, his own work has been difficult to find for quite a long time.

In the last quarter of the 19th Century, Caldecott produced 16 profusely illustrated small "Picture Books" of traditional or well-known rhymes and poems for children. Originally published by George Routledge & Sons (London) in a 9" x 8" format, and later reprinted in the same format by Frederick Warne, these titles were, in sequence,
1) The House That Jack Built
2) The Diverting History of John Gilpin
3) Elegy on the Death of a Mad Dog (by Oliver Goldsmith)
4) The Babes in the Wood
5) Sing a Song for Sixpence
6) The Three Jovial Huntsmen
7) The Farmer's Boy
8) The Queen of Hearts
9) The Milkmaid
10) Hey Diddle Diddle, & Bye, Baby Bunting
11) A Frog He Would a-Wooing Go
12) The Fox Jumps Over the Parson's Gate
13) Come Lasses and Lads
14) Ride a Cock Horse to Banbury Cross, & A Farmer Went Trotting Upon His Grey Mare
15) An Elegy on the Glory of Her Sex, Mrs Mary Blaize (by Oliver Goldsmith)
16) The Great Panjandrum Himself

This present Alfred A Knopf/Borzoi/Everyman's Library/Children's Classic edition is sturdily bound with sewn sections that will not crack apart like so many books more cheaply constructed. It contains the full text and original illustrations of half of Caldecott's original series: #14 (presented separately as Ride a-Cock-Horse, and A Farmer Went Trotting), and #s 2, 1, 8, 5, 4, 16, and 3 -- each one a personal favorite of my own. Nearly every page has either charming line drawings or a full-page color illustration.

It's not possible for any child to not be intrigued and engrossed by these wonderful pictures, even when the delightful rhymes are not being read aloud. This is a book that should be under every child's Christmas tree, or in the library of anyone who appreciates fine illustration.

The complete poetical works of William Collins, Thomas Gray, and Oliver Goldsmith. With biographical sketches and notes. Ed. by Epes Sargent.

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The complete poetical works of William Collins, Thomas Gray, and Oliver Goldsmith. With biographical sketches and notes. Ed. by Epes Sargent.
Michigan Historical Reprint Series
Manufacturer: Scholarly Publishing Office, University of Michigan Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

United States | History | Historical Reproductions | Formats | Books
ASIN: 1425545742
Release Date: 2005-12-21

Product Description

This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's preservation reformatting program.

The Works of Washington Irving: Oliver Goldsmith & Astoria - Volume Seven - The New Hudson Edition

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The Works of Washington Irving: Oliver Goldsmith & Astoria - Volume Seven - The New Hudson Edition

Manufacturer: P. F. Collier & Son
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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