The Annotated Books Set (15-Book Set)

by Hans Christian Andersen, L. Frank Baum, Frances Hodgson Burnett

Since its inception in 1999 with The Annotated Alice, the Norton Annotated Books series has been acclaimed and praised for its thoroughly annotated and lushly illustrated editions of great literature--from The Wizard of Oz to The Secret Garden, from the adventures of Sherlock Holmes to the redemption of Ebenezer Scrooge. Now all fourteen volumes (to date) of the Norton Annotated Books are available in a single set of 15 books (The New Annotated Sherlock The Complete Short Stories is two volumes). With lush illustrations (color, two-tone, and black-and-white photos and illustrations throughout each volume) and entertaining, authoritative annotations throughout each, the Annotated Books provide the most entertaining and intimate experiences of these great The Annotated Alice (by Lewis Carroll with illustrations by John Tenniel, edited by Martin Gardner): The Definitive Edition of The Annotated Alice combines the notes of Gardner's 1960 Annotated Alice with his 1990 update, More Annotated Alice, as well as additional new discoveries and updates drawn from Gardner's encyclopedic knowledge of the texts. The Annotated Brothers Grimm (by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, edited and translated by Maria Tatar): The Annotated Brothers Grimm celebrates the richness and dramatic power of the legendary fables with forty stories in new translations by Maria Tatar--including "Little Red Riding Hood," "Cinderella," "Snow White," and "Rapunzel," plus tales that were previously excised, including a few bawdy stories and others that were removed after the Grimms learned that parents were reading the book to their children. The Annotated Christmas Carol (by Charles Dickens with illustrations by John Leech, edited by Michael Patrick Hearn): With extensive annotations and reading notes, this is the first edition to combine the original text of 1843 with Dickens's Public Reading text, which had its world premiere in America in 1867 and had not been reprinted in nearly a century. Also included are rare photographs as well as the original Leech wood engravings and hand-colored etchings. The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales (edited and translated by Maria Tatar): Tatar, a leading expert in the field of folklore and children's literature, guides readers through the stories, exploring their historical origins, their cultural complexities, and their psychological effects. Tatar presents twenty-six classic stories--including "Beauty and the Beast," "Little Red Hiding Hood," "Jack and the Beanstalk," and "The Little Mermaid." Over 300 often rare, mostly four-color photographs, paintings, and illustrations. The New Annotated Dracula (by Bram Stoker, edited by Leslie S. Klinger): Traveling through two hundred years of popular culture and myth as well as graveyards and the wilds of Transylvania, Klinger's notes illuminate every aspect of this haunting narrative, including a detailed examination of the original typescript of Dracula, with its shockingly different ending, previously unavailable to scholars. The Annotated Hunting of the Snark (by Lewis Carroll with illustrations by Henry Holiday, edited by Martin Gardner): A trove of new annotations and illustrations, uncovering some of the most confounding literary, linguistic, and mathematical references embedded in any of Lewis Carroll's many works. Included in this gorgeous, two-color volume is an introduction by Adam Gopnik, as well as Henry Holiday's distinctive, original illustrations, a substantial bibliography, and a suppressed drawing of the infamous Boojum. The Annotated Hans Christian Andersen (by Hans Christian Andersen, edited and translated by Maria Tatar): Tatar celebrates the stories told by Denmark's "perfect wizard." Andersen's most beloved tales, such as "The Emperor's New Clothes," "The Ugly Duckling," and "The Little Mermaid," are now joined by "The Shadow" and "Story of a Mother," mature stories that reveal his literary range and depth, showing exactly how Andersen became one of the world's ten most translated authors, along with Shakespeare, Dickens, and Marx. The Annotated Huckleberry Finn (by Mark Twain with illustrations by E. W. Kemble, edited by Michael Patrick Hearn): Hearn's copious annotations draw on primary sources including the original manuscript, Twain's revisions and letters, and period accounts. Reproducing the original E. W. Kemble illustrations from the first edition, as well as countless archival photographs and drawings, some of them previously unpublished. The Annotated Secret Garden (by Frances Hodgson Burnett, edited by Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina): Gerzina, the author of the definitive biography of Frances Hodgson Burnett, brings out aspects of Burnett's life that led her to write the much-loved tale read by generations of children, details of the Victorian England time period, attitudes toward children, and Burnett's spiritual leanings. With over one hundred illustrations, many in vibrant color. The New Annotated Sherlock The Compl...

7900 pages, Hardcover

First published September 6, 2010

About the author

Hans Christian Andersen (often referred to in Scandinavia as H.C. Andersen) was a Danish author and poet. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, Andersen is best remembered for his fairy tales. Andersen's popularity is not limited to children; his stories — called eventyr, or "fairy-tales" — express themes that transcend age and nationality.

Andersen's fairy tales, which have been translated into more than 125 languages, have become culturally embedded in the West's collective consciousness, readily accessible to children, but presenting lessons of virtue and resilience in the face of adversity for mature readers as well. Some of his most famous fairy tales include "The Little Mermaid", "The Ugly Duckling", "The Nightingale", "The Emperor's New Clothes" and many more. His stories have inspired plays, ballets, and both live-action and animated films.

Reviews

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Annotated Edition of Uncle Tom's Cabin,
Harriet Beecher Stowe


It was 40 years ago that I last read a copy of Uncle Tom's Cabin. It has been very interesting to read it again with an adult's viewpoint. The reviews have also been enlightening. I found reviews from 1852 when the book was first published. Interestingly enough, the reviews were not favorable. Even The Liberator, which was an Abolitionist newspaper, panned the book. As an adult, I can see that Stowe tented to be somewhat melodramatic and also adhered to the stereotypes of the time in believing that blacks were inferior to whites.

The annotations and illustrations that were provided by Dr. Gates and Dr. Robbins were fascinating.

I would be interested in reading some of the other annotated titles that are listed above.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

UPDATE: Like I thought might be the case, this one was nowhere near as enlightening as the Annotated Alice in Wonderland, but it's still interesting enough if you like Secret Garden. Probably a 3.5.
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I'm not actually reading the whole 15-book set, but there's no option to select just the Annotated Secret Garden. I loved the Annotated Alice in Wonderland, so I thought I'd give this one a shot, though I have some misgivings that there's less that needs annotating (i.e. Alice was filled with inside jokes that only Victorians, the Liddel family, or math professors would get, which the book explained; Secret Garden is pretty straightforward). We'll see!

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read The Annotated Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum edited with an intro and notes by Michael Patrick Hearn