Eight madcap tales of unpredictable dragons — including one made of ice, another that takes refuge in the General Post Office, and a fire-breathing monster that flies out of an enchanted book and eats an entire soccer team!The Book of Beasts (Excerpt)He happened to be building a Palace when the news came, and he left all the bricks kicking about the floor for Nurse to clear up—but then the news was rather remarkable news. You see, there was a knock at the front door and voices talking downstairs, and Lionel thought it was the man come to see about the gas, which had not been allowed to be lighted since the day when Lionel made a swing by tying his skipping rope to the gas bracket.And then, quite suddenly, Nurse came in and said, "Master Lionel, dear, they've come to fetch you to go and be King."Then she made haste to change his smock and to wash his face and hands and brush his hair, and all the time she was doing it Lionel kept wriggling and fidgeting and saying, "Oh, don't, Nurse," and, "I'm sure my ears are quite clean," or, "Never mind my hair, it's all right," and, "That'll do.""You're going on as if you was going to be an eel instead of a King," said Nurse.The minute Nurse let go for a moment Lionel bolted off without waiting for his clean handkerchief, and in the drawing room there were two very grave-looking gentlemen in red robes with fur, and gold coronets with velvet sticking up out of the middle like the cream in the very expensive jam tarts.They bowed low to Lionel, and the gravest one said: "Sire, your great-great-great-great-great-grandfather, the King of this country, is dead, and now you have got to come and be King.""Yes, please, sir," said Lionel, "when does it begin?""You will be crowned this afternoon," said the grave gentleman who was not quite so grave-looking as the other."Would you like me to bring Nurse, or what time would you like me to be fetched, and hadn't I better put on my velvet suit with the lace collar?" said Lionel, who had often been out to tea."Your Nurse will be removed to the Palace later. No, never mind about changing your suit; the Royal robes will cover all that up."...About Edith Nesbitt:Edith Nesbit (married name Edith Bland; 15 August 1858 – 4 May 1924) was an English author and poet; she published her books for children under the name of E. Nesbit.Nesbit published approximately 40 books for children, including novels, collections of stories and picture books. Collaborating with others, she published almost as many more.According to her biographer, Julia Briggs, Nesbit was "the first modern writer for children": Nesbit "helped to reverse the great tradition of children's literature inaugurated by Lewis Carroll, George MacDonald and Kenneth Grahame, in turning away from their secondary worlds to the tough truths to be won from encounters with things-as-they-are, previously the province of adult novels." Briggs also credits Nesbit with having invented the children'sadventure story. Noël Coward was a great admirer of hers and, in a letter to an early biographer Noel Streatfeild, wrote "she had an economy of phrase, and an unparalleled talent for evoking hot summer days in the English countryside."Among Nesbit's best-known books are The Story of the Treasure Seekers(1898) and The Wouldbegoods (1899), which both recount stories about the Bastables, a middle-class family that has fallen on (relatively) hard times.The Railway Children is also known from its adaptation into a 1970 film version. Gore Vidal called the time-travel book, The Story of the Amulet one in which "Nesbit's powers of invention are at their best." Her children's writing also included numerous plays and collections of verse.She created an innovative body of work that combined realistic, contemporary children in real-world settings with magical objects – what would now be classed as contemporary fantasy – and adventures and sometimes travel to fantastic worlds. In doing so, she was a direct or indirect influence on many subsequent writers, including P. L. Travers (author ofMary Poppins), Edward Eager, Diana Wynne Jones and J. K. Rowling. C. S. Lewis was influenced by her in writing the Narnia series and mentions the Bastable children in The Magician's Nephew. (Wikipedia)

The Magic World is an influential collection of twelve short stories by E. Nesbit. It was first published in book form in 1912 by Macmillan and Co. Ltd., with illustrations by H. R. Millar and Gerald Spencer Pryse. The stories, previously printed in magazines (like Blackie's Children's Annual), are typical of Nesbit's arch, ironic, clever fantasies for children.Some of the twelve stories in the collection are:"The Cat-hood of Maurice" — a boy abuses the family cat, and learns to see things from the feline point of view."The Mixed Mine" — two boys find a magic spyglass, and use it to make their fortunes."Accidental Magic" — Quentin falls asleep on the altarstone at Stonehenge, and wakes in Atlantis."The Princess and the Hedge-pig" — King Ozymandias and Queen Eliza plan a secret christening for their Princess Ozyliza, to avoid a wicked fairy's curse. Things go awry."Septimus Septimusson" — he is the seventh son of a seventh son, who can see fairies and hear the beasts speak; and he must seek his fortune."The White Cat" — a boy finds a china ornament in the attic; it proves to be a magic talisman."Belinda and Bellamant" — they are a princess and prince suffering curses; a talking bat helps resolve their problems."Justnowland" — Elsie visits a magic land of giant crows, and a dragon."The Related Muff" — a sensitive boy, dismissed as a "muff" by his cousins, proves himself a hero in a crisis."The Aunt and Amabel" — a girl enters a magic world through a wardrobe."Kenneth and the Carp" — unjustly accused, a boy transforms into a fish and redeems his honor."The Magician's Heart" — an evil magician distributes curses at royal christenings. Complications ensue.The story "The Aunt and Amabel" has received attention as a precursor of C. S. Lewis's first Narnia novel, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe."Accidental Magic" has been seen as exerting an influence on J. R. R. Tolkien. Conversely, Nesbit's "Justnowland" displays the influence of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland.Elisabeth Beresford's 1964 book Awkward Magic was published in the United States under the title The Magic World. Beresford has been identified as an imitator of Nesbit.Nesbit's little girls tend to get in trouble over their efforts at gardening. Elsie in "Justnowland" uproots turnip plants she mistakes for weeds; Amabel cuts chrysanthemum blossoms from a greenhouse and tries to plant them in a flower bed. Stories in the collection feature talking animals and human/animal transformation, with implications regarding animal welfare and avoidance of mistreatment. The opening story is the most explicit in its message against cruelty to animals. (Wikipedia)About Edith Nesbitt:Edith Nesbit (married name Edith Bland; 15 August 1858 – 4 May 1924) was an English author and poet; she published her books for children under the name of E. Nesbit.Nesbit published approximately 40 books for children, including novels, collections of stories and picture books. Collaborating with others, she published almost as many more.According to her biographer, Julia Briggs, Nesbit was "the first modern writer for children": Nesbit "helped to reverse the great tradition of children's literature inaugurated by Lewis Carroll, George MacDonald and Kenneth Grahame, in turning away from their secondary worlds to the tough truths to be won from encounters with things-as-they-are, previously the province of adult novels." Briggs also credits Nesbit with having invented the children's adventure story. Noël Coward was a great admirer of hers and, in a letter to an early biographer Noel Streatfeild, wrote "she had an economy of phrase, and an unparalleled talent for evoking hot summer days in the English countryside."Among Nesbit's best-known books are The Story of the Treasure Seekers (1898) and The Wouldbegoods (1899), which both recount stories about the Bastables, a middle-class family that has fallen on (relatively) hard times. The Railway Children is also known from its adaptation into a 1970 film version. Gore Vidal called the time-travel book, The Story of the Amulet one in which "Nesbit's powers of invention are at their best." Her children's writing also included numerous plays and collections of verse.She created an innovative body of work that combined realistic, contemporary children in real-world settings with magical objects – what would now be classed as contemporary fantasy – and adventures and sometimes travel to fantastic worlds. In doing so, she was a direct or indirect influence on many subsequent writers, including P. L. Travers (author of Mary Poppins), Edward Eager, Diana Wynne Jones and J. K. Rowling. C. S. Lewis was influenced by her in writing the Narnia series and mentions the Bastable children in The Magician's Nephew. (Wikipedia)

The Railway Children is a children's book by Edith Nesbit, originally serialised in The London Magazine during 1905 and first published in book form in 1906. It has been adapted for the screen several times, of which the 1970 film version is the best known.The story concerns a family who move to "Three Chimneys", a house near the railway, after the father, who works at the Foreign office, is imprisoned after being falsely accused of spying. The children befriend an Old Gentleman who regularly takes the 9:15 train near their home; he is eventually able to help prove their father's innocence, and the family is reunited.The family take care of a Russian exile, Mr Szczepansky, who came to England looking for his family and Jim. The theme of an innocent man being falsely imprisoned for espionage and finally vindicated might have been influenced by the Dreyfus Affair, which was a prominent worldwide news item a few years before the book was written.

The story concerns a family who move from London to "The Three Chimneys", a house near the railway, after the father, who works at the Foreign Office, is imprisoned after being falsely accused of spying. The children befriend an Old Gentleman who regularly takes the 9:15 train near their home.It will be this man who brings justice. 

The Wouldbegoods: Being the Further Adventures of the Treasure Seekers continues telling the story of Dora, Oswald, Dicky, Alice, Noel, and Horace Octavius Bastable, and their attempts to assist their widowed father and recover the fortunes of their family. The story is told from a child's point of view. The narrator is Oswald.

They were not railway children to begin with. I don't suppose they had ever thought about railways except as a means of getting to Maskelyne and Cook's, the Pantomime, Zoological Gardens, and Madame Tussaud's. They were just ordinary suburban children, and they lived with their Father and Mother in an ordinary red-brick-fronted villa, with coloured glass in the front door, a tiled passage that was called a hall, a bath-room with hot and cold water, electric bells, French windows, and a good deal of white paint, and 'every modern convenience', as the house-agents say.

The story begins when a group of children move from London to the countryside of Kent. The five children – Cyril, Anthea, Robert, Jane, and their baby brother, known as the Lamb – are playing in a gravel pit when they uncover a rather grumpy, ugly, and occasionally malevolent Psammead, a sand-fairy with ability to grant wishes.

Adventures of curious kids continue. This time they encounter mysterious sea creatures while on holiday. They uncover underwater kingdoms of mermaids during their incredible journey beneath the waves.

The Enchanted Castle by Edith Nesbit. When Jerry, Jimmy and Cathy discover a tunnel that leads to a castle, they pretend that it is enchanted. But when they discover a Sleeping Princess at the centre of a maze, astonishing things begin to happen. Amongst a horde of jewels they discover a ring that grants wishes. But wishes granted are not always wishes wanted, so the children find themselves grappling with invisibility, dinosaurs, a ghost and the fearsome Ugli-Wuglies before it is all resolved.

THE MAGIC CITY is a children's book by E. Nesbit, first published in 1910. It initially appeared as a serial in The Strand Magazine. After Philip's older sister and sole family member Helen marries, he goes off to live with his new step sister Lucy. He has trouble adjusting at first, thrown into the world different from his previous life and abandoned by his sister while she is on her honeymoon. To entertain himself he builds a giant model city from things around the house: game pieces, books, blocks, bowls, etc. Then, through some magic, he finds himself inside the city, and it is alive with the people he has populated it with. Some soldiers find him and tell him that two outsiders have been foretold to be coming: a Deliverer and a Destroyer. Mr. Noah, from a Noah's Ark playset, tells Philip that there are seven great deeds to be performed if he wants to prove himself the Deliverer. Lucy, too, has found her way into the city and joins Philip as a co-Deliverer, much to his chagrin. What happens next? Well you’ll have to download the book to findout for yourself! 10% of the profit from the sale of this book is donated to charities. =================== KEYWORDS/TAGS: Magic City, edith Nesbit, fantasy, fiction, childrens story, fantasy tale, young people, switch, Philip, Lucy, Helen, model city, deliverer, destroyer, game pieces, soldiers, magic, mr noah, ark, playset, seven, great deeds, honeymoon, sister, outsiders, prove, pip, Peter Graham, Nurse, maid, chief judge, Mr. Perrin, carpenter, motor veil lady, Pretender-in-Chief, Claimancy, Deliverership, Pretenderette, Lord High Islander, Polistarchia, Polly, parrot, Max, Brenda, the dogs, Hippogriff, Great Sloth, Dragon slayer, Princess in distress, Disentangle, Mazy Carpet, Fear slayer, Dwellers, slay, Lions in the Desert: shared task, after the fact, Polistarchia, Fruit, Awake and Busy, free, Polistopolis, The Beginning, Lost, On The Carpet, Ups, Downs, Lightning, Loose', Night Attack, end, folklore, fairy tales, myths, legends, fables,

“WET MAGIC” is another children’s fantasy book by Edith Nesbit – she who wrote The Railway Children, Five Children and It plus many others. When four siblings journey to the seaside for a holiday, one of them unwittingly summons the sister of a mermaid who is captured by a circus, and the children set out to save the imprisoned being. After a daring midnight rescue, the children's reward is an incredible journey beneath the waves and into the hidden kingdom of the mermaids. But they soon find themselves in a race against time as they struggle to prevent a war and save their new underwater companions! Here is a triumphant tale by one of the finest storytellers to ever write for children, and a pioneer of fantasy literature for this age group. A highly recommended fantasy adventure for children and young adults and for those of us still in touch with our “inner child”. 10% of the profit from the sale of this book will be donated to charities. -------------------- EDITH NESBIT (married name Edith Bland; 15 August 1858 – 4 May 1924 Age 65) was an English author and poet; she published her books for children under the name of E. Nesbit. She wrote or collaborated on more than 60 books of children's literature. -------------------- KEYWORDS/TAGS: Wet magic, Edith Nesbit, fantasy, action, adventure, childrens stories, summons, mermaid, midnight rescue, circus, under sea, reward, hidden kingdom, underwater, companions, Mavis, Francis, Princess, tales, Bernard, Mermaid, Kathleen, Queen, King, Ulfin, sea, Folk, seaweed, Reuben, Aunt, Cathay, magic, Enid, Mother, golden, books, Mer, Sabrina, aquarium, Spangled, Star, Palace, Professor, barrow, jolly, Pearce, brave, cave, silence, chariot, Maia, Merland, Beachfield, captivity, carried, Horses, Lobsters, Porpoises, royal, Conchology, Freia, bottom, bum, France, princess, prince, queen

Edith Nesbit’s The Book of Dragons is a classic collection of eight dragon-themed short stories first published in 1911. Nesbit is the author of The Railway Children. This new digital edition of The Book of Dragons includes a dragon image gallery.

"The Book of Dragons" is a collection of 8 short stories about dragons. Edith Nesbit (15 August 1858 – 4 May 1924) was an English author and poet; she published her books for children under the name of E. Nesbit.