Animals Are Us: Anthropomorphism in Children’s Literature; Celebrating the Peter J. Solomon Collection

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Kenneth Grahame (British, 1859–1932, author)
W. Graham Robertson (British, 1866–1948, illustrator)
The Wind in the Willows
London: Methuen and Co., 1908
20 x 14 cm
Houghton Library, EC9.G7607.908w
Bequest of William B. Osgood Field, 1957
Grahame’s tales of the adventures of Rat, Mole, Badger,
and Toad were first recounted in stories and letters to
his young son. The adventures of these thinly disguised
gentlemen friends were intended as amusing life lessons
for a privileged boy. This first edition had one frontispiece
illustration; the wild antics of Toad were only hinted at
through his depiction in motoring attire on the spine. The
1931 edition illustrated by E. H. Shepard of Winnie-the-Pooh
fame contributed significantly to the book’s popularity.
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