London: Methuen and Co., 1908. First edition. A Near Fine copy. Finely bound by the Cottage Bindery in Bath, England. Full blue morocco ruled and stamped in gilt with a butterfly motif. Spine in compartments (decorated with butterflies) with five raised bands. Inset in the front panel is a colored pictorial onlay recreating the frontispiece. All edges gilt. Internally, there is the occasional spot of foxing or stray blemish, but a beautiful copy overall.

The Wind in the Willows, Grahame's famed children's novel, was first published in 1908 and introduces the beloved Mr. Toad, Rat, Badger, and Mole. Grahame began writing the book in his late forties after leaving his position as Secretary of the Bank of England. Much of the plot of The Wind in the Willows had its origins both in the bedtime stories Grahame had invented to tell his own son, and in Grahame’s childhood experiences in Berkshire county. The book might not have been published if not for the efforts of President Theodore Roosevelt, who lobbied Methuen to release it. While reviews were mixed, the book became a classic – and would be adapted by A.A. Milne into the well known play Toad of Toad Hall in 1929. “

The Wind in the Willows is a worthy companion to The Golden Age and Dream Days. It is whimsical, fascinating by its apparent seriousness and that sense of underlying poetry which Mr. Grahame somehow manages to convey through all his nonsense” (contemporary New York Times review). Near Fine (Item #8100)