Audiobook · read by volunteers
Wind in the Willows (version 2)
Kenneth Grahame (1859–1932)
Read by Mark F. Smith · 12 chapters · 6 h 47
About the book
A Mole, tired of spring cleaning, climbs out of his hole into the sunshine and meets the River. There he finds a friend in the Water Rat, who takes him out in a boat and shows him a new world. Soon Mole and Rat are visiting the gruff Badger in the Wild Wood, rescuing the irrepressible Mr Toad from his latest craze, and finding that adventure is never far from the riverbank. Kenneth Grahame's classic is a book of friendship, of home and of the English countryside, full of comfort and humour, with moments of real wonder. A single reader brings all twelve chapters to life over nearly seven hours. It is a story for children and grown-ups who both have a soft spot for a picnic. A gentle classic for every age.
Introduction
Kenneth Grahame, who lived from 1859 to 1932, was a Scottish-born author who worked for many years at the Bank of England. He wrote The Wind in the Willows, published in 1908, in part from bedtime stories and letters he had written for his young son. It became one of the best-loved children's books in English, and it has been adapted for stage, screen, radio and television many times.
Its three chief characters, Mole, Rat and Toad, are mostly cheerful, yet their adventures include real moments of fear, homesickness and awe, as well as plain foolishness. Although it is shelved with children's books, adults have always read it with equal pleasure. The vocabulary is rich and unhurried, which suits listeners who enjoy words, and the values it quietly teaches, loyalty, good manners, self-control and friendship, are offered without fuss.
The chapters move between very different moods: the pastoral calm of the river, the menace of the Wild Wood, the comedy of Toad's motor-cars and the strange, almost spiritual passage in which the friends hear the piping of an unseen presence. Few books balance so many tones so lightly, and the affection for English landscape and the pleasures of home is unmistakable.
This is a second LibriVox recording of the book, read by a single volunteer. It has twelve chapters and runs for about six and three quarter hours. It is a perfect choice for family listening, for long journeys and for anyone who wants to spend time in a gentler, greener world.
Public domain
Kenneth Grahame died in 1932: 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