Frederik van Eeden 2 hr 47 min read

A boy who lives in an old house with a great garden is led by a fairy into the mysteries of nature, dream, and the sorrow of growing up.

This English edition presents Frederik van Eeden's 1885 'Little Johannes,' a beloved Dutch allegorical fairy tale, with an introduction by Andrew Lang. Lyrical, wistful, philosophical. Read it for a tender masterpiece of literary fantasy about childhood, wonder, and the loss of innocence.

In its time

Published in 1885, during the 1880s, lost races and dying earths.

Reading it

2 hr 47 min read (a novel-length work, settle in).