Cover of A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys
Myth & Legend FictionFae & Fairy FictionFairy Tales & Folklore

A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys

by

  • 1800 first published
  • 206 pages
  • ★ 3.9 (7 ratings)
  • 144 editions
  • 🎧 5 h 34 min free audiobook
Listen freeBorrow on Open LibraryFind in a library

Published in 1800, A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys is a mythic fiction and fae fiction novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Much of the action takes place in United States. Readers will find themes of Classical Mythology, Greek Mythology, fairy tales and mitología griega.

Open Library readers give it an average of 3.9 out of 5 from 7 ratings, and 103 more have it on their want-to-read list. It has been published in 144 editions across 5 languages.

It runs to roughly 206 pages — 3–4 hours of reading at an average pace. A free LibriVox audiobook (5 h 34 min) is available.

About A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys

Six legends of Greek mythology, retold for children by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Included are The Gorgon’s Head, The Golden Touch, The Paradise of Children, The Three Golden Apples, The Miraculous Pitcher, and The Chimaera. In 1838, Hawthorne suggested to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow that they collaborate on a story for children based on the legend of the Pandora’s Box, but this never materialized. He wrote A Wonder Book between April and July 1851, adapting six legends most freely from Charles Anton’s A Classical Dictionary (1842). He set out deliberately to “modernize” the stories, freeing them from what he called “cold moonshine” and using a romantic, readable style that was criticized by adults but proved universally popular with children. With full-color illustrations throughout by Arthur Rackham.
Description from Open Library

Free audiobook

A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys — LibriVox recording, 5 h 34 min in 22 sections.

Public-domain recording by volunteer readers. Listen online, download MP3s or stream from the Internet Archive.

Themes, setting & tropes

Genres

Setting

Subjects

  • Classical Mythology
  • Greek Mythology
  • Children's stories, American
  • Fairy tales
  • Mitología griega
  • Literatura juvenil
  • Mythologie grecque
  • Mythologie ancienne
  • Ouvrages pour la jeunesse
  • Study and teaching
  • Mythology, greek, juvenile literature
  • Mythology
  • Mythology, classical
  • Mythology, classical, juvenile literature
  • Mythology, Greek, Juvenile literature
  • Mythology, Greek

Quick answers

Who wrote A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys?

A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys was written by Nathaniel Hawthorne and first published in 1800.

What genre is A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys?

It is usually shelved as Myth & Legend Fiction, Fae & Fairy Fiction and Fairy Tales & Folklore.

How long is A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys?

The median edition has 206 pages, about 3–4 hours of reading at 250 words per minute.

Is there a free audiobook of A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys?

Yes — LibriVox volunteers recorded it; the recording runs 5 h 34 min.

What books are similar to A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys?

Readers who like it often enjoy Flower Fables, The Light Princess and Hans Andersen's Fairy Tales.

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