The Book of Dragons

Written by Edith Nesbit

Narrated by Laurie Anne Walden

A princess is locked away on a remote island guarded by a dragon. Many suitors try and fail to save her, but one day a clever boy arrives. So begins ‘The Island of Nine Whirlpools‘, one of Edith Nesbitt’s eight dragon stories in ‘The Book of Dragons’ (1899). The tales may be over a hundred years old, but they contain a timeless quality that ignites the imagination and creates a sense of wonder. Child or adult, these stories are written with such warmth and wit, anyone will find themselves laughing out loud with regular intervals. They may revoke a certain Tolkien feeling, and C.S. Lewis, who read Nesbitt’s books as a child, was clearly inspired by her works.

Edith Nesbit (1858-1924) was an English author of children’s literature and a one of the political founders of the socialist organization, the Fabian Society. She adopted several of her husband’s

Children whom he fathered with other women, and supported her large family by writing and collaborating on more than 60 books.

• Language: English
• Publisher: SAGA Egmont
• Release date: Nov 10, 2016
• ISBN: 9789176391426

Edith Nesbit

Edith Nesbit (1858-1924) was an English writer of children’s literature. Born in Kennington, Nesbit was raised by her mother following the death of her father—a prominent chemist—when she was only four years old. Due to her sister Mary’s struggle with tuberculosis, the family travelled throughout England, France, Spain, and Germany for years. After Mary passed, Edith and her mother returned to England for good, eventually settling in London where, at eighteen, Edith met her future husband, a bank clerk named Hubert Bland. The two—who became prominent socialists and were founding members of the Fabian Society—had a famously difficult marriage, and both had numerous affairs. Nesbit began her career as a poet, eventually turning to children’s literature and publishing around forty novels, story collections, and picture books. A contemporary of such figures of Lewis Carroll and Kenneth Grahame, Nesbit was notable as a writer who pioneered the children’s adventure story in fiction. Among her most popular works are The Railway Children (1906) and The Story of the Amulet (1906), the former of which was adapted into a 1970 film, and the latter of which served as a profound influence on C.S. Lewis’ Narnia series. A friend and mentor to George Bernard Shaw and H.G. Wells, Nesbit’s work has inspired and entertained generations of children and adults, including such authors as J.K. Rowling, Noël Coward, and P.L. Travers.