The Wind in the Willows (Collector's Library) - Hardcover

When Mole tires of spring-cleaning his home, he takes a stroll to the riverbank. There he meets a new friend, Ratty, who introduces him to the delightful world of the river and all its residents. Beyond the river, which has now lured Mole away from home, lies the Wild Wood, where the reclusive Badger has made his home. The three animals become firm friends that winter when Ratty and Mole take refuge from the snow in Badgers house. Together they have many thrilling adventures with the irrepressible Mr Toad, who, try as he might, simply cannot help getting into trouble. Illustrated by Arthur Rackham, with an Afterword by David Stuart Davies

Kenneth Grahame was born in Edinburgh in 1859. He was educated at St Edward's School, Oxford, but family circumstances prevented him from entering Oxford University. He joined the Bank of England as a gentleman clerk in 1879, rising to become the Bank's Secretary in 1898. He wrote a series of short stories, married Elspeth Thomson in 1899 and their only child, Alistair, was born a year later. He left the Bank in 1908, the year that The Wind in the Willows was published. Though not an immediate success, by the time of Grahame's death in 1932 it was recognised as a children's classic.