Audiobook · read by volunteers
Story of the Treasure Seekers
E. Nesbit (1858–1924)
Read by Karen Savage · 16 chapters · 4 h 09
About the book
The Bastable children are sure of one thing: the family has lost its money, and it is up to them to put things right. Six of them set out with enormous confidence and very little experience to dig for treasure, play detectives, sell their poems and try every other scheme that comes into their heads. Each attempt goes wrong in a different and entertaining way. E. Nesbit tells the story through the eyes of one of the children, who is a cheerful and not always reliable narrator. Sixteen chapters and about four hours, read by a single volunteer, make this a warm, funny and thoroughly readable family classic. Anyone who has ever had a plan that was too good to fail will recognise these young adventurers at once. Expect laughter and many disasters.
Introduction
Edith Nesbit, who lived from 1858 to 1924 and published as E. Nesbit, was an English writer who helped to change the way children’s fiction was written. Before her, many stories for young readers were solemn and moralising. Nesbit gave her child characters real voices, humour and flaws. The Story of the Treasure Seekers, published in 1898, was her first great success, and it introduced the Bastable family, who would appear in later books.
The book is a series of episodes, each describing one of the children’s attempts to restore the family finances. They dig for treasure, try to be detectives, and carry out other ambitious schemes. The comedy comes from the gap between their serious intentions and the results, and from the narrator’s voice, which is lively, confiding and often unintentionally funny. The children are endearing rather than perfect, and the adults are seen from below, with a mixture of puzzlement and affection.
Nesbit’s influence can be felt in later writers of children’s fiction, and several authors have acknowledged their debt to her. Her stories, set in a recognisable London household, remain fresh, and the humour has aged well.
This LibriVox recording consists of sixteen chapters and runs for about four hours. It is read by Karen Savage and is ideal for reading aloud in a family setting, or for adults who want a cheerful dose of nostalgia. The Bastables would return in later books, and the same cheerful family atmosphere has made this first adventure a favourite of generations of readers on both sides of the Atlantic.
Public domain
E. Nesbit died in 1924: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text