The Wind in the Willows - Illustrated Versions

The Wind in the Willows, written by Kenneth Grahame and first published in 1908, is one of the most popular books ever written. Almost 100 years on it is still enjoyed by children and adults alike. In that period over 90 different artists have produced illustrated versions and numerous writers have attempted to abridge the text to make it more accessible for younger children.

Every household should have a copy or two, and the story also makes a great gift for a young child or a friend. Some enthusiasts have even started to collect the different illustrated versions. But with so many different versions around, the problems are in knowing which to buy and similarly, here on ebay, which version the seller is actually selling. This guide attempts to classify many of the more popular versions, particularly the illustrated versions, and to give more information on those versions so that the buyer can make a clearer decision on the best purchases.

Sellers of illustrated books like The Wind in the Willows, Alice in Wonderland, etc, should always name the illustrator. Unfortunately this is rarely done. I have frequently had to email sellers to ask who the illustrator was. In fairness, thought, I should add that Ive always received a prompt and helpful reply. The key pieces of information, I find, are illustrator, condition, publication year and ISBN. A search on the ISBN can help determine a lot of further detail on the book too. But be prepared to email those questions in many cases. This guide cannot entirely substitute for getting the some specific details for the seller.

The illustrated editions are listed in four groupings below. The first group covers the editions from 1908-1982. The book was still under copyright in this period - until October 1983, in fact - and any illustrated version needed to be officially commissioned or approved by the copyright holders. The second group covers full-text versions from the period from 1983 up until the present day. The third group covers abridged editions from the same period. The fourth group covers picture book editions, also from the same period. Picture book editions are considered to be those versions which are extensively abridged to suit very young readers, and in most cases they may have as much, or more, space devoted to illustrations as to text.

The list belowis by no means complete and there are various reprints and formats associated with some illustrators but, hopefully, it will go some way towards helping the buyer identify which are abridged versions, which are extensively illustrated, which are small books, which have few pages, etc.

1. Illustrated Editions from 1908-1982

- 1913 Paul Bransom (Longmeadow Press 1987, 351pp, 240mm x 200mm, 8 col plates, ISBN 0681400579 (Reprint))

- 1922 Nancy Barnhart (Charles Schribner's Sons 1922, 351pp, 205mm x 160mm, 8 col plates 4 b