by Edith Nesbit
The New Treasure Seekers. 1904. London: Puffin Books, 1996. The third volume in the Bastable series.
The Story of the Amulet. 1906. London: Puffin Books, 1996. The third and final volume of the “Five Children” series.
The Railway Children. 1906. London: Puffin Books, 1994. After The Story of the Treasure Seekers, her most popular family adventure novel.
The House of Arden. 1908. New York: Books of Wonder, 1997. The Arden children travel into the past in search of lost family treasure.
Harding’s Luck. 1909. New York: Books of Wonder, 1999. A sequel to The House of Arden.
The Magic City. 1910. New York: Seastar Books, 2000. The adventures of two children inside their own toy city.
The Wonderful Garden. 1911. New York: Coward-McCann, 1959. Three children find and plant the seeds of Heart’s Desire.
The Magic World. 1912. London: Puffin Books, 1994. A collection of twelve stories.
Wet Magic. 1913. New York: Seastar Books, 2001. Four children help the Merfolk in their struggle against the Underfolk.
Long Ago When I Was Young. 1966. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 1991. A series of childhood reminiscences originally published as “My School-Days” in The Girl’s Own Paper, October 1896-September 1897.
Biography
Briggs, Julia. A Woman of Passion: The Life of E. Nesbit, 1858-1924. 1987. New York: New Amsterdam Books, 2000. A thorough update of Moore’s biography with edifying commentary on Nesbit’s works.
Moore, Doris Langley. E. Nesbit: A Biography. 1933. Revised edition. London: Ernest Benn, 1967. Based on extensive interviews with and letters from Nesbit’s family and other acquaintances.
Criticism and Contexts
Bell, Anthea. E. Nesbit. 1960. New York: H. Z. Walck, 1964. A succinct overview of her life and works.
Carpenter, Humphrey. Secret Gardens: A Study of the Golden Age of Children’s Literature. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1985. An account of the Anglo-American tradition from the mid-nineteenth to the early twentieth century. The sharply critical chapter on Nesbit questions both her originality and the value of her influence.
Crouch, Marcus. Treasure Seekers and Borrowers: Children’s Books in Britain, 1900-1960. London: Library Association, 1962. An informative survey that identifies Nesbit as a central figure in the modern British tradition and credits her with reshaping the family story, the fantasy novel, and the historical romance.
———The Nesbit Tradition: The Children’s Novel in England, 1945-1970. London: Ernest Benn, 1972. An overview that emphasizes Nesbit’s enduring influence on English children’s fiction.
Knoepflmacher, U. C. “Of Babylands and Babylons: E. Nesbit and the Reclamation of the Fairy Tale.” Tulsa Studies in Women’s Literature 6:2 (Fall 1987), pp. 299-325. A probing essay that uses Nesbit’s autobiographical writings (primarily Long Ago When I Was Young) to explore some of the psychological conflicts in her major fiction. Lochhead, Marion. Renaissance of Wonder: The Fantasy Worlds of C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, George MacDonald, E. Nesbit and Others. San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1977. A historical survey with a chapter devoted to Nesbit.
Manlove, Colin N. From Alice to Harry Potter: Children’s Fantasy in England. Christchurch, New Zealand: Cybereditions, 2003. An illuminating tour of the fantasy tradition from the mid-nineteenth century to the present.
Nelson, Claudia. Boys Will Be Girls: The Feminine Ethic and British Children’s Fiction, 1857-1917. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1991. An analysis of the sanctification of childhood and related changes in gender ideals in the fiction of the era.
Nicholson, Mervyn. “What C. S. Lewis Took from E. Nesbit.” Children’s Literature Association Quarterly 16 (1991), pp. 16-22. An essay that examines the influence of Nesbit’s fantasies on the plot, character, and narrative voice of Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, with an analysis of the sections most heavily indebted to her works.
Nikolajeva, Maria. Children’s Literature Comes of Age: Toward a New Aesthetic. New York: Garland, 1996. A sophisticated and wide-ranging study that identifies Nesbit as “the key figure of modern fantasy” (p. 159) and highlights her appropriation of other literature from traditional folktales to the novels of H. G. Wells.
Prickett, Stephen. Victorian Fantasy. Hassocks, Sussex: Harvester, 1979. A standard work on the period that concludes with a chapter on Kipling and Nesbit.
Streatfeild, Noel. Magic and the Magician: E. Nesbit and Her Children’s Books. New York: Abelard Schumann, 1958. A book-length appreciation by a well-known author of children’s literature.
a Rented one-horse carriage.
b British magicians John Nevil Maskelyne (1839-1917) and George A. Cooke (1825-1904) ran a famous theater, the Egyptian Hall, in London. After Cooke’s death, David Devant (1868-1941) became Maskelyne’s partner (see The Enchanted Castle, p. 221).
c Limekiln: kiln in which limestone is heated in order to extract lime; oasthouse: building containing an oast, a kiln for drying hops.
d Type of northern swallow that lives in tunnels in day or sand banks.
e Type of eucalyptus tree native to Australia.
f The Australian emu bird provided the logo for “Emu Brand” knitting wool.
g Spanish gold coin; no longer in use.
h Nesbit derived this term for “Sand-fairy” from the Greek psammos (sand) and the names naiad (water nymph) and dryad (wood nymph) of Greek mythology.
i Elephant-size sloths that became extinct at the end of the last Ice Age, about 11, 000 years ago.
j Sleeveless, apron-like garment worn over other clothing.
k Prank in which bedsheets are doubled up, like an apple turnover, so that a person cannot stretch out her legs under them.
l Breakfast (slang).
m Small town in Kent, east of London.
n Canopy.
o June 24, the day on which the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, is traditionally celebrated.
p Gold coins once used in England.
q Loose-fitting jackets, sometimes part of a suit with knee breeches.
r Tree; member of the birch family.
s English gold coins worth 21 shillings; not minted since 1813.
t Imitation coins used as stakes in card games.
u Quickly.
v Carriage with horses, harness, and driver.
w Twopence; sum equal to two British pennies.
x I’ll guarantee (slang).
y Worthless or contemptible person.
z Lord love me (dialect).
aa Soot.
ab Chimney (dialect).
ac Barrier used in nurseries to restrict children’s movements.
ad Worthless (slang).
ae To proceed in lines of four.
af Reference to “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears,” a line from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar (act 3, scene 2).
ag Term of endearment.
ah Sand flea.
ai Large English chicken.
aj Leave; clear out (slang).
ak Term of endearment for a child.
al Tributary of the River Thames that divides the county of Kent.
am Books in which documents are printed for pupils to imitate.
an Offspring of Sennacherib, king (705-681 B.C.) of the Assyrian Empire, who rebuilt its largest city, Nineveh. He was slain by one, or possibly two, of his sons.
ao Literally, other times, other customs (French); that is, times change, customs change.
ap Molasses.
aq Room for storing food.John Churchill (1650-1722), celebrated for his victory over France in the Battle of Blenheim (1704).
ar Much talk with insignificant results.
as Term for the younger of two people with the same surname.
at Major campaign (1808-1814) on the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars.
au King of England from 1625 until 1649; he was executed after the defeat of his forces in the English Civil Wars.
av The
second ( 1147-1149) in the series of campaigns to wrest the Holy Land from Muslim control.
aw Helmets from the era of Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658), who led the Puritan rebellion against Charles I and ruled as lord protector from 1653 until his death.
ax Harm.
ay Shrub with laxative properties.
az Often spelled gramercy; an expression of gratitude (archaic).
ba Also (archaic).
bb Grate or grille, made of wood or iron and suspended by chains; designed to be lowered for quick fortification against assault.
bc Merry-go-round.
bd Loop or coil.Resinous substance used to strengthen the thread that is used to sew shoes or to bind whips, ropes, and other goods.
be Baked or boiled pudding made of a sheet of pastry covered with jam and rolled up.
bf Castle in East Sussex built by an English knight in 1385.
bg Further ahead.
bh Peace (Latin).
bi Cut it out (slang).
bj Popular weekly magazine launched by Edwin J. Brett in 1866.
bk Official residence of London’s lord mayor.
bl Broad, stiff white collar worn over a jacket’s lapels.
bm Cloth covering for a long, narrow pillow.
bn Pit of a plum.
bo Sideshow at a fair; contestants throw a ball to try to knock a coconut off its stand.
bp So help me! (dialect).
bq Reference to the slang expression “balmy in the crumpet” (wrong in the head or crazy).
br Upon my word of honor! (slang).
bs Bed (slang).
bt Two pounds (slang).
bu An oath—short for “God’s truth” (slang).
bv Small change (slang).
bw Exclamation of surprise (slang).
bx Riotous dance.
by Inexpensive watch made by the Waterbury Watch Company in Connecticut.
bz Socks made with decorative openings.
ca Famous novel, published in 1826, by James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851).
cb County in northern England, on the border with Scotland.
cc County in the northeast of England, on the North Sea.
cd Weekly magazine established in 1828.
ce English coin worth 2 shillings; first minted in 1849.
cf Popular name for the Hospital of St. Mary of Bethlehem, England’s oldest psychiatric hospital.
cg Machine for drying clothes.
ch Floor covering made from the fiber of coconut husks.
ci County on the southern coast of England.
cj Hard work (slang).
ck Well? (French).
cl Dear (French).
cm Partly or wholly underground structure used to store ice.
cn Not so bad (slang).
co Shiny.
cp Tower of London, where the Crown Jewels are housed.
cq Decorative gold necklace, traditionally restricted to certain government officials, composed of a string of small emblems shaped like the letter S.
cr In the French fairy tale Le Petit Poucet (“Little Tom Thumb”), by Charles Perrault (1628-1703), the young hero deceives an ogre and steals a pair of magic boots that allow the wearer to cover 7 leagues (about 3 miles) in one stride.
cs Famous stage magicians (see footnote on p. 10 to Five Children and It).
ct Tawdry (archaic).
cu Elizabeth I (1533-1603), the venerated British monarch who was also known for her stately self-display.
cv Fool (slang) .
cw Exclamation of surprise (slang).
cx Breakfast (slang).
cy Innkeeper or stableman at an inn.
cz Type of colored lithograph finished to resemble an oil painting.
da Covered in black polish derived from graphite.
db Occupation.
dc Little fellow (slang).
dd All serene (slang)—that is, “so everyone’s happy.”
de From “safe as houses,” a saying that refers to the stability of the real estate market.
df Here you are (French) .
dg Sleight of hand; a conjuring trick.
dh Built for the Great Exhibition of 1851; see endnote 5 to Five Children and It.
di Unbleached linen fabric originally from Holland.
dj Coarse woolen cloth.
dk Soiled (slang).
dl Chimney (dialect) .
dm Stolen goods.
dn Money; a pound (slang).
do That is, in the arms of Morpheus; in other words, asleep.
dp Coins (slang).
dq Rain barrel.
dr Such a swell (slang).
ds Roman goddess of the hunt and the moon. t Byname for Apollo, the Greek sun god associated with song and wisdom. ‡ Greek god of wine and patron of agriculture and the theater.
dt Roman god of commerce and the messenger of the gods.
du Greek equivalent of Mercury.
dv Half a moment (dialect).
dw Monsieur Lecoq, the detective created by Émile Gaboriau (c.1832-1873); the character preceded by several decades his more famous counterpart, Sherlock Holmes, the creation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ( 18 5 9-19 3 0) .
dx Slave who performs a low bow accompanied by the placement of his right palm on his forehead. In The Arabian Nights, Mesrour is a henchman of the Khalif Haroun er Reshid.
dy Mable means “entail”; the property has an assigned line of inheritance and can be sold or bequeathed only to a specified class of heirs.
dz Heavens! (French).
ea So! (French).
eb Concentrated liquid extract of beef, marketed by German chemist Justus von Liebig (1803-1873) as an inexpensive source of meat nutrients.
ec Bonnet with a projecting brim.
ed Wooden frame on which towels are hung.
ee Long stuffed pillows.
ef Recipient of the highest award for gallantry granted to a member of the British and Commonwealth armed forces.
eg Stock exchange term for South African mine shares.
eh Sixpence (slang).
ei Big pile of money (slang).
ej Money (slang).
ek Festive gathering (slang).
el 5 shillings (slang).
em Twopence; that is, I couldn’t care less.
en Street in London.
eo Female oracles: The Pithia (named after the Python slain by Apollo) is the Oracle at Delphi; the Sibyl lived in caves, the most respected in Cumae near Naples.
ep Mystery novel (1901), by E. F. Benson (1867-1940), set among the English aristocracy.
eq Gooseberries (dialect).
er Out of their senses (slang).
es Roman god of gates and doors, beginnings and endings, and major transitions in individual and social life; the month of January is named for him.
et Major plaza in central London commemorating the 1805 British naval victory over the French at the Battle of Trafalgar.
eu Celestial Aphrodite; a particular vision of Aphrodite as the Greek goddess of spiritual as opposed to merely sensual love.
ev Eros: Greek god of love; Psyche: princess in Roman mythology who marries Cupid (Eros); Hebe: Greek goddess of youth; Ganymede: in Greek myth, the Trojan prince who is carried off to become cupbearer of the gods. See also endnote 10.
ew Greek goddess of marriage; wife and sister of Zeus.
ex Ruler of the gods, and god of the sky and weather.
ey Greece.
ez Greek goddess of agriculture.
fa Staff entwined with two snakes; traditionally associated with Hermes (Mercury).
fb From vivandiere, a woman who accompanies troops to sell them supplies (French).
fc Prince Albert (1819-1861), husband of Queen Victoria.
fd Famed British gardener and hothouse designer who was the architect of the Crystal Palace (see endnote 5 to Five Children and It).
fe Phrase that replaces other words when one derisively repeats a statement.
ff Mercy! (French).
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