The Story of the Amulet

Written by Edith Nesbit

Narrated by Anna Bentinck

The trilogy of Five Children and It, The Phoenix and the Carpet and The Story of the Amulet, all involve the same family and their encounters with the magical being the Psammead. The adventures of the five children proved one of the most popular of Nesbit’s creations. The Story of the Amulet centers around the purchase of an ancient Amulet which can grant them their heart’s desire – the return of their parents – but which first sets them on a journey through time to ancient Babylon, Egypt, and Atlantis. But it begins in an old shop next to the British Museum.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Naxos Audiobooks
• Release date: Jul 1, 2007
• ISBN: 9789629544195

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.

Reviews for The Story of the Amulet

[marse_4 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This time the children from "Five Children and It" and "The Phoenix and the Carpet" are traveling through time with the help of a magic amulet. As always, E. Nesbit is a wonderful storyteller, and the children's adventures are interesting and amusing. They travel back 8000 years, visit Babylon, see the destruction of Atlantis, meet Julius Caesar, as well as other adventures, all in order to get their heart's desire, which was the quick return of their parents from a trip away from home. A lovely book.

[pandoragreen · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Featuring the "Five Children" from The Five Children and It. A childhood favorite, I have reread this book at least a half dozen times. Pretty much everything by E. Nesbit is worth a look or three.

[antiquary_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Of all Nesbit's book, I think the Five Children series (Five Children and It, The Phoenix and the Carpet, The Story of the Amulet) are among my favorites, second only to The Magic City.