The King of the Golden River

Description

First published in 1851, John Ruskin's Victorian story, newly illustrated by Quentin Blake, tells the tale of the Black brothers: the kind-natured 11-year old Gluck and his two nasty older brothers, Hans and Schwartz. For Gluck, play is cleaning the floors, and his education consists of a wholesome quantity of punches. One stormy evening, Gluck is left at home to prepare his older brothers' dinner when an extraordinary-looking little man knocks at the door. Having been strictly warned not to let anyone in, Gluck watches as the little old man becomes increasingly drenched at the door. His soft heart tells him to ignore his brothers' advice, and so Gluck's encounter with the mysterious King of the Golden River begins. Appearing at first as a beggar, then the Southwest Wind, and finally as a Toby jug who Gluck unwittingly transforms into a dwarf, the King of the Golden River issues Gluck with a challenge: to climb to the source of the Golden River and cast into the stream three drops of holy water. If he can achieve this, the river will turn to gold.

John Ruskin was a 19th-century art critic, writer, painter and art collector, and a committed supporter of J.M.W. Turner and the Pre-Raphaelite group. Ruskin married Effie Gray, for whom he originally wrote The King of the Golden River. Sir Quentin Blake is an internationally celebrated illustrator, known for his collaborations with authors such as Roald Dahl, Russell Hoban, John Yeoman, David Walliams and Joan Aiken. A winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal and the Hans Christian Andersen Award, he received a knighthood in 2013. He is the series consultant for The Illustrators and in 2019 published his illustrated edition of John Ruskin's King of the Golden River.

"Blake's signature kinetic line and quivering washes of bold color illustrate an 1842 folktale by the influential art critic John Ruskin. ... Ruskin's rich language...is a treat."-- "Publishers Weekly" The kinetic, colorful artwork for this edition comes from the masterful Quentin Blake... The modern reader ages 5-11 will find, in this appealing edition, a story of vice punished and virtue rewarded... Mr. Blake's pictures add enough dash and wit to make the book succeed.-- "The Wall Street Journal"