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Fantasy news round-up, July 22, 2010

A round-up of the latest fantasy-related news published during the third week of July 2010.

The Wind In The Willows gets teaser site
An official website has been launched for the 2012 adaptation of Kenneth Grahame‘s The Wind in the Willows. The film will be adapted and directed by Ray Griggs with New Zealand-based effects studio Weta, founded by Peter Jackson, Richard Taylor and Jamie Selkirk in 1993, handling the computer-generated animation. There is not much to see as of yet… http://www.thewindinthewillowsthemovie.net/

eBooks outstrip online demand for traditional hardback format
For every book purist, hardbooks represent literature at its best. But the hardback appears to be at risk of being left on the shelf after Amazon revealed that sales of eBooks for its digital reader have outstripped the traditional format for the first time. The online retailer has sold 143 books for the Kindle eReader for every 100 hardcover versions over the past three months. In the last month alone, sales have spiked to as many as 180 for every 100. Bestselling authors such as Stephenie Meyer, who wrote the Twilight series, Charlaine Harris, Stieg Larsson, James Patterson and Nora Roberts, have each sold more than 500,000 Kindle books as more readers snap up the new technology.

Morgan Spurlock’s Comic-Con documentary seeks participants
Morgan Spurlock, the director of Super Size Me and The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special is headed to 2010 Comic-Con International in San Diego to shoot a documentary about the event. He is seeking attendees who would like to be a part of his film. On the film’s website, he asks, "Do you die for diehard fandom? Do you pine over Chris Pine, other Captain Kirks, or have firsthand knowledge of who is the ultimate Bruce Wayne? Is your Lost Ark a long lost collectible, an original edition comic book?" Anyone who needs to be the first in line at a sneak peak of Green Lantern, has the biggest collection or best costume is invited to participate in his feature-length film Comic-Con Episode Four: A Fan’s Hope and tell their story. From fans to artists and vendors, Spurlock and his producers, including comic book icon Stan Lee and writer/producer Joss Whedon, are seeking to cast: "original, eccentric, and funny people that will capture the excitement, enthusiasm, joy, and passion of comic book, anime, sci-fi, and fantasy lovers." Those interested in taking part in this epic documentary can send a message to ComicConDoc@gmail.com. The producers request that each submission includes a name, phone number, picture, and one’s story. For more information, visit http://comic-con.morganspurlock.com/

Daniel Radcliffe to appear in The Woman in Black
Daniel Radcliffe will shortly be playing the role of a lawyer in the upcoming movie, The Woman in Black, an adaptations of Susan Hill’s best selling novel. Radcliffe said, “I am incredibly excited to be part of The Woman in Black, Jane Goldman’s script is beautifully written – both tender and terrifying in equal measure”. The Woman in Black will be directed by Eden Lake’s James Watkins.

Steven Spielberg to shoot his latest film on an isolated British moor
Steven Spielberg will be shooting his latest film on a windswept, isolated British moor. Dartmoor is to be the backdrop for the big-budget adaptation of War Horse, a novel by Devon writer Michael Morpurgo. The book tells the moving story of a horse sold to the cavalry and then shipped to France during the First World War, and his young owner’s mission to bring him home. “I know they are filming on Dartmoor and in London,” said Mr Morpurgo, who used his home village of Iddesleigh, near Winkleigh, North Devon, as the location for part of the novel.  “I am excited and I hope to go on set and see it.” Mr Morpurgo believed that filming would begin in August and last about three months but he was not sure when the crew would descend on Dartmoor.

Posted: July 22nd, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: Kenneth Grahame, Michael Morpurgo

Weta Workshop to bring The Wind in the Willows back to life

The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame’s much-loved 1908 children’s book,  is being developed into a live-action and animatronics version by RG Entertainment. The film will be shot in New Zealand this Autumn with Peter Jackson’s visual effects company Weta Workshop onboard.

The Wind in the Willows has been filmed before, by Disney in 1949; a stop-motion animated TV series by Cosgrove-Hall in the 1980s (pictured); and a live-action version directed by Terry Jones in 1996, starring Steve Coogan and Eric Idle.

Ray Griggs will direct and produce the $30 million feature, with Richard Taylor handling the special effects with Kim Sinclair as production designer.

"At its heart, The Wind in the Willows is a story of friendship and the joys of home," Griggs told Daily Variety.

Griggs, owner and president of RG Entertainment, said he’s raised the funds through private investors and is expecting to announce cast members soon. He plans to record the dialogue first and shoot the film with the actors in animal costumes with state-of-the-art animatronics being used to duplicate facial expressions.

• Kenneth Grahame biography
• The Wind in the Willows book review

Posted: June 20th, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: Kenneth Grahame

The 20 greatest children’s books ever, according to The Telegraph

Some are time-worn classics, some more recently embraced. Lucinda Everett selects the stories that resonate with the young decade after decade. We think that it is a great list and have added some of our favourites immediately afterwards.

1. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
   Far from fading with time, Kenneth Grahame’s classic tale of fantasy has attracted a growing audience in each generation. Rat, Mole, Badger and the preposterous Mr Toad, have brought delight to many through the years with their odd adventures on and by the river, and at the imposing residence of Toad Hall.
2. The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
   The Lord of the Rings is a magnificent achievement, an epic tale of friendship, love and heroism. This book set down the benchmark for all fantasy novels to come, without it the world would be a poorer place. Perfection is a very difficult goal to achieve, the Lord of the Rings comes as close to it as is maybe possible. Readers will be left with dreams of living in their very own hobbit hole and the journey that the Fellowship undertakes will remain with them for the rest of their lives. Tolkien’s narrative is breath-taking and his beautiful descriptions of Middle-earth are a joy to behold.
3. The Harry Potter series by JK Rowling
   Harry Potter is an ordinary boy who lives in a cupboard under the stairs at his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon’s house, which he thinks is normal for someone like him who’s parents have been killed in a ‘car crash’. He is bullied by them and his fat, spoilt cousin Dudley, and lives a very unremarkable life with only the odd hiccup (like his hair growing back overnight!) to cause him much to think about. That is until an owl turns up with a letter addressed to Harry and all hell breaks loose! He is literally rescued by a world where nothing is as it seems and magic lessons are the order of the day. Read and find out how Harry discovers his true heritage at Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft, the reason behind his parents mysterious death, who is out to kill him, and how he uncovers the most amazing secret of all time, the fabled Philosopher’s Stone! All this and muggles too. Now, what are they?
4. His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
   Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy astounded the literary world, reaping high praise from adults as well as children. The final book in the trilogy, The Amber Spyglass, was published to great literary acclaim, earning Pullman a place on the longlist for the prestigious Booker Prize and pushing the trilogy toward cult fiction status for both children and adults.
5. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by CS Lewis
   Lucy steps into the Professor’s wardrobe – but steps out again into a snowy forest. She’s stumbled upon the magical world of Narnia, a land of unicorns, centaurs, fauns … and the wicked White Witch, who terrorises all. Lucy soon realises that Narnia, and in particular Aslan, the great Lion, need her help if the country’s creatures are ever going to be free again.
6. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
   A much-loved classic, The Very Hungry Caterpillar has won over millions of readers with its vivid and colourful collage illustrations and its deceptively simply, hopeful story. With its die-cut pages and finger-sized holes to explore, this is a richly satisfying book for children.
7. The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton
   When Joe, Beth and Frannie move to a new home, an Enchanted Wood is on their doorstep. And when they discover the Faraway Tree, that is the beginning of many magical adventures! Join them and their friends Moonface, Saucepan Man and Silky the fairy as they discover which new land is at the top of the Faraway Tree. Will it be the Land of Spells, the Land of Treats, or the Land of Do-As-You-Please? There’ll be adventures waiting for them, whatever happens; funny, magical adventures that will delight children again and again.
8. Babar by Jean de Brunhoff
   "If you love elephants, you will love Babar and Celeste," writes A. A. Milne in his preface to "The Story of Babar". "And if you have never loved elephants, you will love them now."
9. Treasure Island by RL Stevenson
   ‘Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest-Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum!’ Treasure Island is a tale of pirates and villains, maps, treasure and shipwreck. When young Jim Hawkins finds a packet in Captain Flint’s sea chest, he could not know that the map inside it would lead him to unimaginable treasure. Shipping as cabin boy on the Hispaniola, he sails with Squire Trelawney, Captain Smollett, Dr Livesey, the sinister Long John Silver and a frightening crew to Treasure Island. There, mutiny, murder and mayhem lead to a thrilling climax.
10. The Railway Children by E Nesbit
    When Father goes away with two strangers one evening, the lives of Roberta, Peter and Phyllis are shattered. They and their mother have to move from their comfortable London home to go and live in a simple country cottage, where Mother writes books to make ends meet. However, they soon come to love the railway that runs near their cottage, and they make a habit of waving to the Old Gentleman who rides on it. They befriend the porter, Perks, and through him learn railway lore and much else. They have many adventures, and when they save a train from disaster, they are helped by the Old Gentleman to solve the mystery of their father’s disappearance.
11. Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome
    Arthur Ransome was a prolific writer of children’s books. Born in Leeds in 1884, it was his father, a nature-loving history professor, who inspired his love of the outdoors and nurtured a passion for fishing. As a child he enjoyed active, outdoor holidays: sailing, camping and exploring the countryside. He used many of these holiday settings for his children’s stories, notably the much loved Swallows and Amazons, a book that sits comfortably in the category of "timeless classic" and remains one of his most popular titles for young people.
12. Winnie the Pooh by AA Milne
    AA Milne’s first stories about Winnie-the-Pooh, the most famous bear in the world, were published eighty years ago. Discover what happens when Pooh goes visiting and Piglet meets a Heffalump, not forgetting when Eeyore loses his tail and Pooh finds one!
13. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
    Charlie Bucket finds a Golden Ticket which wins him a whole day at Willie Wonka’s chocolate factory in this captivating favourite by Roald Dahl.
14. The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson
    The Gruffalo certainly lives up to its reputation as a classic read for both children and parents. The fantasy story captures the imagination of pre-schoolers as it takes them on a journey with mouse as he strolls through the wood and meets the beast himself, the Gruffalo. As the mouse revisits inhabitants of the wood with the Gruffalo, the mouse successfully convinces the beast that he, the mouse, is the scariest creature in the wood.
15. Peter and Wendy (Peter Pan) by JM Barrie
    Peter Pan, the “boy who would not grow up,” originally appeared as a baby living a magical life among birds and fairies in J.M. Barrie’s sequence of stories, Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. His later role as flying boy hero was brought to the stage by Barrie in the beloved play Peter Pan, which opened in 1904 and became the novel Peter and Wendy in 1911. In a narrative filled with vivid characters, epic battles, pirates, fairies, and fantastic imagination, Peter Pan’s adventures capture the spirit of childhood—and of rebellion against the role of adulthood in conventional society.
16. Watership Down by Richard Adams
    Fiver could sense danger. Something terrible was going to happen to the warren – he felt sure of it. So did his brother Hazel, for Fiver’s sixth sense was never wrong. They had to leave immediately, and they had to persuade the other rabbits to join them. And so begins a long and perilous journey of a small band of rabbits in search of a safe home. Fiver’s vision finally leads them to Watership Down, but here they face their most difficult challenge of all…Published in 1972, "Watership Down" is an epic journey, a stirring tale of adventure, courage and survival against the odds.
17. The Story of Tracy Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson
    ‘I’m Tracy Beaker. This is a book all about me. I’d read it if I were you. It’s the most incredible dynamic heart-rending story. Honest.’ Tracy is ten years old. She lives in a Children’s Home but would like a real home one day, with a real family. Meet Tracy, follow her story and share her hopes for the future in this beautifully observed, touching and often very funny tale, all told in Tracy’s own words.
18. The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr
    This book has enduring charm and young children will delight in the preposterous notion of a tiger creating mayhem in the house.
19. The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
    The Tale of Peter Rabbit was first published by Frederick Warne in 1902 and endures as Beatrix Potter’s most popular and well-loved tale. It tells the story of a very mischievous rabbit and the trouble he encounters in Mr McGregor’s vegetable garden!
20. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
    Maurice Sendak’s children’s picture book has become an acknowledged classic. A winner of the Caldecott Medal for the Most Distinguished Picture Book of the Year in 1964, Where the Wild Things Are is a timeless masterpiece that can be enjoyed equally by children and grown-ups.

So there ends The Telegraph’s collection of the 20 greatest children’s books ever. Fantasy Book Review would like to suggest 5 more titles that we believe worthy of appearing in such a list:

1. The Iron Man by Ted Hughes
   Mankind must put a stop to the dreadful destruction caused by the Iron Man. A trap is set for him, but he cannot be kept down. Then, when a terrible monster from outer space threatens to lay waste to the planet, it is the Iron Man who finds a way to save the world.
2. The Spook’s series by Joseph Delaney
   A wonderful and terrifying series by a new writer about a young boy training to be an exorcist. Thomas Ward is the seventh son of a seventh son and has been apprenticed to the local Spook. The job is hard, the Spook is distant and many apprentices have failed before Thomas. Somehow Thomas must learn how to exorcise ghosts, contain witches and bind boggarts. But when he is tricked into freeing Mother Malkin, the most evil witch in the County, the horror begins…
3. The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness by Michelle Paver
   Thousands of years ago the land is one dark forest. Its people are hunter-gatherers. They know every tree and herb and they know how to survive in a time of enchantment and powerful magic. Until an ambitious and malevolent force conjures a demon: a demon so evil that it can be contained only in the body of a ferocious bear that will slay everything it sees, a demon determined to destroy the world. Only one boy can stop it – 12 year old Torak, who has seen his father murdered by the bear. With his dying breath, Torak’s father tells his son of the burden that is his. He must lead the bear to the mountain of the World Spirit and beg that spirit’s help to overcome it. Torak is an unwilling hero. He is scared and trusts no one. His only companion is a wolf cub only three moons old, whom he seems to understand better than any human. Theirs is a terrifying quest in a world of wolves, tree spirits and Hidden People, a world in which trusting a friend means risking your life.
4. The Death Defying Pepper Roux by Geraldine McCaughrean
   When Pepper Roux was born his aunt foretold that he would not live past 14 years of age. Throughout his childhood his parents haven’t bothered with him much, knowing that his life would be short-lived. So when Pepper wakes up on his 14th birthday he knows this will be the day that he’ll die. But as the day wears on, and Pepper finds himself still alive, he decides to set off to sea in an attempt to try and avoid death for as long as possible. As time goes on Pepper steps into many roles and personas and has numerous outrageous adventures. But can he stay one step ahead of death? Or will fate catch up with him? And, if he does live, which of his many lives will he choose to adopt? This riot of a story is a wonderful adventure, and Pepper is an unforgettable character who stays with you long after his story has been told.
5. The Edge Chronicles by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell
   The Edge Chronicles is a young-adult fantasy novel series by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell. It consists three trilogies and three additional books. Originally published in the United Kingdom, this bestseller series has since been published in the United States, Canada and Australia as well. To date, more than two million copies of the novels have been sold.

Posted: April 14th, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: AA Milne, CS Lewis, JK Rowling, JRR Tolkien, Julia Donaldson, Kenneth Grahame, Michelle Paver, Philip Pullman, The Edge Chronicles

First edition of The Wind in the Willows sells for £32,400 at auction

A first edition of Kenneth Grahame‘s children’s classic, The Wind in the Willows, dedicated to the daughter of Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, who was thought to have been the model for the character of Ratty, has been sold at auction for £32,400, vastly exceeding the £5,000 estimate.

The inscription inside reads: "To Foy Felicia Quiller Couch from her affectionate friend Kenneth Grahame, Oct. 1908."

Grahame wrote The Wind in the Willows in 1908. The first two books he had written had been about children such as only the grown-up could understand; this one was about animals such as could be loved equally by young and old. It was natural that those critics who had saluted the earlier books as masterpieces should be upset by the author’s temerity in writing a different sort of book; natural that they should resent their inability to place the new book as more or less of a ‘children’s book’ than those which had actually had children in them. For this reason (or some other) The Wind in the Willows was not immediately the success which it should have been. Two people, however, became almost offensively its champions. One of them was no less important a person that the President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt. The other was AA Milne.

Far from fading with time, Grahame’s classic tale of fantasy has attracted a growing audience in each generation. Rat, Mole, Badger, and the preposterous Mr. Toad (with his ‘Poop-poop-poop’ road-hogging new motor-car), have brought delight to many through the years with their odd adventures on and by the river, and the imposing residence of Toad Hall.

Posted: April 2nd, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: Kenneth Grahame

First edition of The Wind in the Willows a star lot at Bonhams

A first edition of the much loved children’s classic, The Wind in the Willows, inscribed by Kenneth Grahame to the daughter of the man who inspired the character of Ratty, is among the star lots offered at Bonhams Printed Books, Maps and Manuscripts sale at New Bond Street on 23 March. The estimate is £3,000 – 5,000.

The inscription in the book to be auctioned reads, “To Foy Felicia Quiller Couch from her affectionate friend Kenneth Grahame, Oct. 1908″. Foy was the daughter of the noted Cornish author, essayist and anthologist Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch at whose home, The Haven at Fowey, Kenneth Grahame often stayed and where he first found the inspiration for The Wind in the Willows. Quiller-Couch is thought to have been the model for the character of Ratty, both having a liking for “messing about in boats”.

“One can argue over the merits of most books, and in arguing understand the point of view of one’s opponent. One may even come to the conclusion that possibly he is right after all. One does not argue about The Wind in the Willows. The young man gives it to the girl with whom he is in love, and if she does not like it, asks her to return his letters. The older man tries it on his nephew, and alters his will accordingly. The book is a test of character. We can’t criticise it, because it is criticising us. It is a Household Book; a book which everybody in the household loves, and quotes continually; a book which is read aloud to every guest and is regarded as the touchstone of his worth. But I must give you one word of warning. When you sit down to it, don’t be so ridiculous as to suppose that you are sitting in judgement of my taste, or on the art of Kenneth Grahame. You are merely sitting in judgement on yourself. You may be worthy: I don’t know. But it is you who are on trial.”
A.A. Milne

Posted: March 10th, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: Kenneth Grahame

More on the Kenneth Grahame biopic

The troubled life of the author who has captivated generations of readers with The Wind In The Willows is to be brought to the big screen.

Banking On Mr Toad will use private archives to explore Kenneth Grahame’s unconventional relationship with his wife Elspeth and his career at the Bank of England.

Grahame, to be played by Fantastic Four star Ioan Gruffudd, was a 41-year-old virgin when he met Elspeth Thompson, a 36-year-old hypochondriac spinster whose father had invented the pneumatic tyre. They married in 1899 after a bizarre courtship.

Samantha Morton, who played Myra Hindley in TV drama Longford and has received two Oscar nominations, is in negotiations to play Elspeth.

The couple had a son, Alastair, who is thought to have provided the inspiration for the gregarious and bumptious Mr Toad but he suffered from ill health and committed suicide on a railway line while at Oxford University.

Grahame moved in literary circles and was published in literary magazines as he rose in the Bank of England to become its youngest secretary.

Like many books now considered classics, Grahame’s manuscript for The Wind In The Willows was rejected several times and, when finally published by Methuen in 1908, attracted mockery from critics.

Generations of children have since enjoyed the tales of Mole, Ratty, Badger and Mr Toad, brought to life through the illustrations of EH Shephard.

The film, to be directed by Bruce Beresford – who made Driving Miss Daisy – will use animation similar to the techniques in Miss Potter, the biography of Beatrix Potter starring Renee Zellweger. Filming is due to start in Ireland later this year.

Source: Sunday Express

Kenneth Grahame was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 8 March 1859. He died at his home on the 6th of July 1932, at the age of 73. He now rests with his wife and son in the St. Cross Church cemetery in Oxford, England. His headstone reads "To the beautiful memory of Kenneth Grahame, husband of Elspeth and father of Alastair, who passed the River on 6 July 1932, leaving childhood and literature through him more blest for all time."

Posted: July 19th, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: Kenneth Grahame

Laughing librarians, Vatican thumbs up and Kenneth Grahame biopic

The following is a round up of the most recent and best fantasy-related stories.

Neil Gaiman, winner of the Newbery Medal for The Graveyard Book (HarperCollins, 2008), cracked up the roomful of librarians and publishers when he spoke of growing up in England as “a feral child who was raised in libraries by patient librarians.” As a child, Gaiman says, he devoured books, “the ones I loved, the ones that spoke to my soul, and those I merely liked.”

Gaiman was inspired to write The Graveyard Book—about a toddler who’s adopted by the residents of an old graveyard after his parents are murdered—in 1985, after seeing his then two-year-old son Mike pedaling his tricycle around a graveyard. But it was decades later before Gaiman thought he was a good enough writer to tell the story in a book. Winning the Newbery Medal, says Gaiman, “made me cool to my children, which is almost as good as it gets.”
Source: www.schoollibraryjournal.com

The Vatican has never been a fan of the Harry Potter series, but they must have done something right with the most recent film in the franchise, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

The new movie, which opens this week across Australia, “made the age-old debate over good v evil crystal clear”, The Associated Press reports The Vatican as saying.

The Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano applauded the film’s treatment of adolescent love, saying it achieved the “correct balance” and made the stars more credible to the general audience.

The newspaper said the film was the best adaptation yet of the JK Rowling series.

“In addition, the spastic search for immortality epitomised by Voldemort is stigmatised,” the review said.
Source: www.news.com.au

Ioan Gruffudd has boarded U.K.-based HSL Studio’s Kenneth Grahame biopic “Banking on Mr. Toad” with Samantha Morton in discussions to play the author’s wife Elspeth.

Helmer Bruce Beresford is attached to direct the project, which charts Grahame’s journey from his job as the secretary of the Bank of England during the era of industrialization at the end of the 19th century through to his authoring of classic children’s book “The Wind in the Willows.”

The project will also explore Grahame’s relationship with his autistic son.
Source: www.variety.com

Posted: July 14th, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: JK Rowling, Kenneth Grahame, Neil Gaiman

Shenley Walled Gardens presents The Wind in the Willows

Toad, Ratty, Mole and Badger will be at Shenley Walled Gardens for a production of children’s classic Wind in the Willows this weekend.

The book by Kenneth Grahame will be brought to life on Saturday by theatre company Heartbreak Productions.

The adventure story will see the four unlikely heroes battle with the scheming stoats and wheedling weasels who attempt to take over Toad Hall and will include music, song and dance for entertainment for all the family.

The production starts at 6.30pm at the gardens at Shenley Park, in Radlett Lane.

Tickets can be brought in advance, adults £10 (on the gate £15), children £8 (on the gate £10) and free for children under five.

They are available from the Shenley Park Trust on 01923 852629, or with credit card via the Heartbreak website www.heartbreakproductions.co.uk/ or through ticketing company www.piranprint.com/bookingshop/Attractions/Wind-In-The-Willows

Group bookings available through the Shenley Park Trust Office only.

For more information log on to www.shenleypark.co.uk.

Kenneth Grahame was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 8 March 1859. Excelling in both academic and sports pursuits whilst attending St. Edward’s School in Oxford, Grahame did not continue on with his dream of a university education due to financial constraints. In 1879 Grahame obtained a position within the Bank of England as a gentleman clerk but he found the routine so dulling that, from his rooms on Bloomsbury Street, turned his pen to writing stories. His first published story was titled By A Northern Furrow (1888), and his most famous short story is, still, "The Reluctant Dragon" (1898).

• The Wind in the Willows book review

Posted: July 1st, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: Kenneth Grahame

Kenneth Grahame at Home in Maidenhead

A local view of life in The Wind in the Willows can be enjoyed at Herries School in Cookham Dean on Sunday at 3pm. Kenneth Grahame At Home has been devised by Jean Hedger from material concerning the Grahame family and readings from the children’s classic Wind in the Willows. The school was the same house in which the family lived. Tickets: adults £4 and children £3 and available on the day or from Stationery Depot, Station Parade, Cookham.

Source: Maidenhead Advertiser

Kenneth Grahame was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 8 March 1859. Excelling in both academic and sports pursuits whilst attending St. Edward’s School in Oxford, Grahame did not continue on with his dream of a university education due to financial constraints. In 1879 Grahame obtained a position within the Bank of England as a gentleman clerk but he found the routine so dulling that, from his rooms on Bloomsbury Street, turned his pen to writing stories. His first published story was titled By A Northern Furrow (1888), and his most famous short story is, still, "The Reluctant Dragon" (1898).

• The Wind in the Willows book review

Posted: May 2nd, 2009
Author: Floresiensis
Categories: Kenneth Grahame

If at first you don’t succeed…

The Examiner takes a fascinating look at the author’s who went on to large-scale success despite initial rejections. They feature extracts from the rejection letters themselves. Here is a selective list of the books, click on the link below it to read about the topic in greater detail.

• Carrie by Stephen King
• Lord of the Flies by William Golding
• The Spy Who Came In From The Cold by John le Carré
• The Diary of Anne Frank
• Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by JK Rowling
• The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin
• Animal Farm by George Orwell
• Navajo Tribal Police mystery novels by Tony Hillerman
• Sanctuary by William Faulkner
• A Time to Kill by John Grisham
• Lolita by Vladimir Nabakov
• Dune by Frank Herbert
• Watership Down by Richard Adams 
• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
• On the Road by Jack Kerouac
• The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

30 famous authors whose works were rejected (repeatedly, and sometimes rudely) by publishers

Source: Examiner.com

Posted: March 22nd, 2009
Author: Floresiensis
Categories: JK Rowling, Kenneth Grahame, Ursula Le Guin