The Enchanted Castle

Book excerpt: The Enchanted Castle (1907) is a children’s fantasy novel by English writer Edith Nesbit. Using elements of magic and mystery familiar to readers of her beloved Bastable and Psammead Trilogies, Nesbit crafts a tale of wonder and adventure for children and adults alike. While on a school holiday, children Jerry, Jimmy, and Kathy explore the open landscape of rural southwestern England. One day, they discover an immense country estate, designed like an ancient castle and complete with towers, gardens, groves, and even a lake. In the middle of its central rose garden, they find a maze at the end of which a young girl lies asleep. Waking, she reveals that she is the princess of the castle, and agrees to show them some of its mysteries. One of these is the ring of invisibility, which, when she slips it on her finger to demonstrate its power, actually works. Startled, the princess reveals that she is really the housekeeper’s niece, and admits that she was only fooling around. Scared at first, the children begin to experiment with the ring, unleashing its powers in fantastic and terrifying ways. The Enchanted Castle is an entertaining, endearing novel, a masterpiece of mystery and adventure with enough excitement to ignite the wonder of children, and to fill any adult with a sense of childish wonder. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Edith Nesbit’s The Enchanted Castle is a classic of English children’s literature reimagined for modern readers.