Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collection
Publication
Puffin Books (1996), 256 pages
Description
The six Bastable children try to restore their family's fortune using a variety of schemes taken from books, including finding buried treasure, rescuing someone from bandits, and starting a newspaper.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Stewartry
E. Nesbit did not write for children.
Oh, yes, I quite enjoyed Five Children and It and The Phoenix and the Carpet and so on when I was a child; they're magnificent children's books. But listening to the Librivox recording of The Story of the Treasure-Seekers makes it very, very clear that the
Thank goodness we get something; in almost everything else the children are the fortunate ones.
The Bastable children possess an innocence which I'm very much afraid is impossible for even a twelve-year-old today. I've seen comments out there amongst the reviews about "imperialist overtones" and casual racism. Thing is, though, this was first published in 1899, and like it or not the world was a very different place then, and as I read it even what could be considered racist has an innocence that keeps it from being offensive. The children are given to understand that a visitor is an Indian, and – fed on adventure novels – assume Amerind, and ask him about beavers. He's India Indian, though, and has no information on such creatures. I honestly don't see how the children's honest excitement about and sympathy for someone from far away who describes himself as a poor broken-down fellow (which they also take literally) can be translated as racist, especially in 1899, and the one extremely unfortunate exclamation that can be (the same as is found in L.M. Montgomery's A Tangled Web) was, sadly, a much more common epithet a hundred years ago.
These are the sort of fictional children that make me despair over today's kids: imaginative, well-read, well-spoken, thoughtful under the childish self-centeredness, and self-sufficient; they make today's kids (American, at least) look like Neanderthals. They're not perfect little angels – E. Nesbit was never stupid. But they do set a ludicrously high standard.
Dora, the eldest (at 13 or 14?), comes off as a bit of a prig (though this is dealt with in a later chapter in such a way that it made me cry), desperately trying to maintain some moral high ground in a horde of siblings who think it would be absolutely smashing if there were still highwaymen on the heath – or, even better, if they could be highwaymen on the heath. Her objection is that it's "wrong" – as in illegal and people hang for such things, not so much as in the victims of the highwaymen didn't think it was quite so smashing. The again-innocent bloodthirstiness of the kids is remarkable, and just fun.
Oswald, the oldest boy at 12 and (you might guess, or you might not!) the narrator of the story, is very nearly as brave and honourable as he wants to appear, and very straightforward. It's rather lovely to see him reluctantly, realistically doing the right thing throughout the book, proceeding quietly and alone when practical – the older ones all do that, shouldering responsibility and striving to make things right when they go wrong. The fierce affection and loyalty among the siblings is, like their father's poverty and worries, never explicitly stated: it doesn't have to be. It is shown, not told.
The four younger children – Noel and Alice and H.O. and Dickie, ranging down to I believe six years old – are every one expected by their elder siblings to be just as sharp and responsible and willing and able to contribute as Oswald and Dora. Some allowances are made for their extreme youth, but for the most part they are equal partners in the treasure-seeking, receiving an equal share in any profits – though sometimes excused by protective siblings from punishments.
I don't remember E. Nesbit reducing me to tears in the past. This did. And, yes, I laughed out loud. I missed the magic element of some of the other books – but only at first. It didn't take long to realize that most of the magic of E. Nesbit's writing is actually in E. Nesbit's writing.
To that point: "No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally – and often far more – worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond." ~ C.S. Lewis. I look forward to reading E. Nesbit when I'm fifty, and beyond.
Oh, yes, I quite enjoyed Five Children and It and The Phoenix and the Carpet and so on when I was a child; they're magnificent children's books. But listening to the Librivox recording of The Story of the Treasure-Seekers makes it very, very clear that the
Show More
magnificent Ms. Nesbit had very firmly in mind the parents who would be reading the books aloud at bedtime. One beautiful example is a scene in which an adult abruptly rises from his seat and walks away to stand at the window with his back to the children in his office. The narrator says he believes the man was trying to conceal his emotions. Which is very true; the emotions, however, were not what the narrator thought. But the narrator, and any child reading or listening who has utter faith that all is just as the narrator perceives it, may believe one thing; the beautiful layer of comedy in the moment is reserved for the grown-ups. Thank goodness we get something; in almost everything else the children are the fortunate ones.
The Bastable children possess an innocence which I'm very much afraid is impossible for even a twelve-year-old today. I've seen comments out there amongst the reviews about "imperialist overtones" and casual racism. Thing is, though, this was first published in 1899, and like it or not the world was a very different place then, and as I read it even what could be considered racist has an innocence that keeps it from being offensive. The children are given to understand that a visitor is an Indian, and – fed on adventure novels – assume Amerind, and ask him about beavers. He's India Indian, though, and has no information on such creatures. I honestly don't see how the children's honest excitement about and sympathy for someone from far away who describes himself as a poor broken-down fellow (which they also take literally) can be translated as racist, especially in 1899, and the one extremely unfortunate exclamation that can be (the same as is found in L.M. Montgomery's A Tangled Web) was, sadly, a much more common epithet a hundred years ago.
These are the sort of fictional children that make me despair over today's kids: imaginative, well-read, well-spoken, thoughtful under the childish self-centeredness, and self-sufficient; they make today's kids (American, at least) look like Neanderthals. They're not perfect little angels – E. Nesbit was never stupid. But they do set a ludicrously high standard.
Dora, the eldest (at 13 or 14?), comes off as a bit of a prig (though this is dealt with in a later chapter in such a way that it made me cry), desperately trying to maintain some moral high ground in a horde of siblings who think it would be absolutely smashing if there were still highwaymen on the heath – or, even better, if they could be highwaymen on the heath. Her objection is that it's "wrong" – as in illegal and people hang for such things, not so much as in the victims of the highwaymen didn't think it was quite so smashing. The again-innocent bloodthirstiness of the kids is remarkable, and just fun.
Oswald, the oldest boy at 12 and (you might guess, or you might not!) the narrator of the story, is very nearly as brave and honourable as he wants to appear, and very straightforward. It's rather lovely to see him reluctantly, realistically doing the right thing throughout the book, proceeding quietly and alone when practical – the older ones all do that, shouldering responsibility and striving to make things right when they go wrong. The fierce affection and loyalty among the siblings is, like their father's poverty and worries, never explicitly stated: it doesn't have to be. It is shown, not told.
The four younger children – Noel and Alice and H.O. and Dickie, ranging down to I believe six years old – are every one expected by their elder siblings to be just as sharp and responsible and willing and able to contribute as Oswald and Dora. Some allowances are made for their extreme youth, but for the most part they are equal partners in the treasure-seeking, receiving an equal share in any profits – though sometimes excused by protective siblings from punishments.
I don't remember E. Nesbit reducing me to tears in the past. This did. And, yes, I laughed out loud. I missed the magic element of some of the other books – but only at first. It didn't take long to realize that most of the magic of E. Nesbit's writing is actually in E. Nesbit's writing.
To that point: "No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally – and often far more – worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond." ~ C.S. Lewis. I look forward to reading E. Nesbit when I'm fifty, and beyond.
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LibraryThing member polutropos
Charming little children's book with an amusing first-person narration. Great sense of humour, lovely period piece.
LibraryThing member sirfurboy
This is a wonderful and timeless work. A first person narration by one of the Bastaple children who live in the Lewisham Road in the late 19th century. The family has come upon some hard times and the children seek to assist their Father's precarious financial situation by searching for treasure
There is plenty of wonderful and subtle humour that is appreciated all the more by thse looking back on childhood with adult eyes. The stories themselves are engaging, and provide a snapshot on late victorian life - at least for the middle classes. If nothing else it will help people understand pre-decimilisation currency!
But all in all this was an enjoyable read, and one I would not hesitate to recommend.
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wherever it may be found.There is plenty of wonderful and subtle humour that is appreciated all the more by thse looking back on childhood with adult eyes. The stories themselves are engaging, and provide a snapshot on late victorian life - at least for the middle classes. If nothing else it will help people understand pre-decimilisation currency!
But all in all this was an enjoyable read, and one I would not hesitate to recommend.
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LibraryThing member debnance
As a child, I loved books with magic. I was often disappointed to discover that books with wonderful magical titles and wonderful magical covers had nothing magical in them.
This book sounded like it would be magical. It was not, but I liked it anyway.
A family of children hope to restore their
I liked this book very much. The children have tremendous fun together. It almost tempts one to have an enormous family in the hopes of finding the companionship seen in this family.
This book sounded like it would be magical. It was not, but I liked it anyway.
A family of children hope to restore their
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family’s lost fortune. They engage in a series of attempts to recover their family fortune including digging for treasure and writing a book, all of which are doomed to failure and yet ultimately result in restoring the family fortune. I liked this book very much. The children have tremendous fun together. It almost tempts one to have an enormous family in the hopes of finding the companionship seen in this family.
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LibraryThing member ed.pendragon
This was the first of Nesbit's successful children's books which began life as a serial and which was published in book form in 1899. Dedicated to the scholar and journalist Oswald Barron, its dedicatee furnished the name of the narrator who recounts the 'adventures of the Bastable children in
This is a charming story which reflects the middle-class gentility prevalent in England more than a century ago (observed in detail in A S Byatt's The Children's Book) before the horrors of the First World War changed things forever. The children's approach to fortune-seeking, influenced by their reading and popular culture, gets them into scrapes from which their honesty and honorableness generally rescue them. Nesbit subtly counterpoints Oswald's descriptions of the situations the children find themselves in with her own adult observations, unspoken but implicit in a turn of phrase or in a character's reaction. In this way, the young reader is not spoken down to but the adult reader can perhaps relive the experiences from a child's particular perspective.
I thought this was a magical novel despite not including the explicit magic of her later books such as The Phoenix and the Carpet and The Enchanted Castle, a classic feelgood story where goodness overcomes all in the end. This Puffin edition has an interesting Introduction by the late Eleanor Graham (founding editor of Puffin Books and herself a children's author) which, as its title 'E. Nesbit and the Bastables' suggests, gives the background to the writing of the book by reference to Nesbit's own childhood and bohemian life.
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search of a fortune' to revive the failing career of their widower father. The children (Dora, Oswald, Dicky, Alice, Noel and Horace Octavius) use the time when their father cannot afford to send them to school to seek for ways to make money in order to return the family to its former comfortable estate.This is a charming story which reflects the middle-class gentility prevalent in England more than a century ago (observed in detail in A S Byatt's The Children's Book) before the horrors of the First World War changed things forever. The children's approach to fortune-seeking, influenced by their reading and popular culture, gets them into scrapes from which their honesty and honorableness generally rescue them. Nesbit subtly counterpoints Oswald's descriptions of the situations the children find themselves in with her own adult observations, unspoken but implicit in a turn of phrase or in a character's reaction. In this way, the young reader is not spoken down to but the adult reader can perhaps relive the experiences from a child's particular perspective.
I thought this was a magical novel despite not including the explicit magic of her later books such as The Phoenix and the Carpet and The Enchanted Castle, a classic feelgood story where goodness overcomes all in the end. This Puffin edition has an interesting Introduction by the late Eleanor Graham (founding editor of Puffin Books and herself a children's author) which, as its title 'E. Nesbit and the Bastables' suggests, gives the background to the writing of the book by reference to Nesbit's own childhood and bohemian life.
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LibraryThing member FHC
FIrst read of this Victorian author, Edith Nesbit. This also was her debut novel.
The story is of the Bastable siblings, set in England during the Victorian era. Their mother has died and their father's partner has absconded with the profits of the business, leaving the children to devise their own
their creative imagination in solutions and escapades carry the reader along a genuine experience of childhood in the society of the day. Ms Nesbit herself having experienced much of what she writes, we are privileged with accurate dialogue, colloquialisms, settings and relationships between adults and children.
The story is narrated by the eldest Bastable son, Oswald, giving his perspective on the activities and adventures and running commentary on his siblings. This gives great insights into the thought of the day regarding expectations on children, class differences, how money is spent, schooling, clothing, and Victorian life generally. I was intrigued by the mention of burying their picnic rubbish as well as orange peels as a positive instruction Oswald wished other mothers would teach their children. Sounding very 'today' for compost and litter awareness!
The forward of the Puffin classics version I have, has a great biographical sketch of the author, Edith Nesbit, which also highlights her life as a Victorian and the influences on her that produced the writing.
The story is of the Bastable siblings, set in England during the Victorian era. Their mother has died and their father's partner has absconded with the profits of the business, leaving the children to devise their own
Show More
methods of restoring the family fortunes...their creative imagination in solutions and escapades carry the reader along a genuine experience of childhood in the society of the day. Ms Nesbit herself having experienced much of what she writes, we are privileged with accurate dialogue, colloquialisms, settings and relationships between adults and children.
The story is narrated by the eldest Bastable son, Oswald, giving his perspective on the activities and adventures and running commentary on his siblings. This gives great insights into the thought of the day regarding expectations on children, class differences, how money is spent, schooling, clothing, and Victorian life generally. I was intrigued by the mention of burying their picnic rubbish as well as orange peels as a positive instruction Oswald wished other mothers would teach their children. Sounding very 'today' for compost and litter awareness!
The forward of the Puffin classics version I have, has a great biographical sketch of the author, Edith Nesbit, which also highlights her life as a Victorian and the influences on her that produced the writing.
Show Less
LibraryThing member lizzy_bb
Who wouldn't want to be a Bastable? One of my most treasured books.
LibraryThing member marukosu
This story is that children seek treasure. The ending is good.
LibraryThing member Chissa
The Bastable family was rich befor farther died.Arter he died,childlen start to thinking how can we become rich,and try to find treasure.They dig in the garden.
This story is fun.As if I back to childhood,this book fill with dreams.
This story is fun.As if I back to childhood,this book fill with dreams.
LibraryThing member overthemoon
The six Bastable children seek to restore the family fortunes by various means, including burglary. The story is narrated by one of the children who tries to remain anonymous but gives himself away right at the start, it is very charming in its innocence and humour.
LibraryThing member carterchristian1
One of my absolute favorite children's book. Used to pretend I was Oswald even though I was a girl. My mother had heard somewhere that Christopher Morley recommended this book and it was one of the very few books that she ever gave me.Then I discovered the Atlanta Public Library (then Carnegie),
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most of the Nesbit books were in the children's room, so I read a lot of them. Show Less
LibraryThing member St.CroixSue
This is a classic British children’s book written by the Nesbit, who was a key influence of C.S. Lewis in writing the Chronicles of Narnia among others. It is a story of six siblings from a family who are regularly left to their own devices who face perils with humor and pluck as they attempt to
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recover the family’s fortune. Show Less
LibraryThing member electrascaife
Six brothers and sisters decide to look for treasure - in their London home and nearby - when their widowed father's business falls on hard times.
A nice-enough story, although it does teeter on the edge of trite, and there are times that Nesbit seems a little too pleased with the cleverness of her
A nice-enough story, although it does teeter on the edge of trite, and there are times that Nesbit seems a little too pleased with the cleverness of her
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boy-as-author/flawed-narrator trope. Show Less
LibraryThing member ashleytylerjohn
I thought it was charming, but slight ... but charming enough to smush it into a 4 star category over 3 star. Loved the touch of how the author claimed they would keep a secret who was narrating the story--I can imagine kids reading it and being a bit stymied, but at 51 I was fairly certain I'd
(Note: 5 stars = rare and amazing, 4 = quite good book, 3 = a decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. There are a lot of 4s and 3s in the world!)
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figured it out :-) (Note: 5 stars = rare and amazing, 4 = quite good book, 3 = a decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. There are a lot of 4s and 3s in the world!)
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LibraryThing member john257hopper
The Story of the Treasure Seekers (25/4/22-26/4/22)
This is another classic Nesbit children's book, the first of her trilogy about the six Bastable children who live with their widowed father in Lewisham in south London. In order to save their father's straitened finances, they develop a range of
This is another classic Nesbit children's book, the first of her trilogy about the six Bastable children who live with their widowed father in Lewisham in south London. In order to save their father's straitened finances, they develop a range of
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bizarre but mostly endearing schemes to raise money, including digging for treasure in their garden, selling sherry, rescuing an old gentleman from being attacked by their (the children's) own dog, kidnapping their next door neighbour, and pretending to be bandits and newspaper editors. It's all good light hearted fun, though not for me as good as Five Children and It or The Railway Children. Show Less
LibraryThing member PollyMoore3
Having a lovely time re-reading all my E Nesbits, starting with this as it's the first (1899). It's probably the first re-read since childhood, so I was appalled by Chapter 9, "The G B" (generous benefactor). The irony is that the man they apply to for money is not portrayed as a generous
The rest of the story is a wonderful, funny romp, and very enjoyable, apart of course from the "N" word at the end.
I'd never say don't read a book because of its archaic, perhaps unintentional racism, but do put your mental filters on.
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benefactor at all, but in a slyly stereotypical way as the "archetypal" Jewish moneylender. As a kid I would have not got the references at all, but now they leap out at you. Edith, I'm ashamed of you, even for those days.The rest of the story is a wonderful, funny romp, and very enjoyable, apart of course from the "N" word at the end.
I'd never say don't read a book because of its archaic, perhaps unintentional racism, but do put your mental filters on.
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Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1899
Physical description
7.78 x 0.6 inches
ISBN
0140367063 / 9780140367065