Borrowers

The classic story of tiny Pod, Homily, and Arrietty Clock, who live under the kitchen floorboards and borrow from "human beans," has charmed readers for fifty years. To celebrate the golden anniversary of Mary Norton's timelessly popular tale, Harcourt presents this handsome gift edition. Features include a new foreword by renowned children's book author, historian, and critic Leonard S. Marcus; Diana Stanley's heartwarming illustrations from the original British edition; a letter by Mary Norton describing the origins of the Borrowers; and a never-before-published sketch of Homily and Arrietty drawn by Mary Norton herself.

MARY NORTON (1903-1992) lived in England, where she was an actress, playwright, and award-winning author. As a child she created a make-believe world in which tiny people inhabited the hedgerows, living their lives out of the sight of humans. It's from this private fantasy that her most well-known books, those about the Borrowers, came about.

LEONARD S. MARCUS is a well respected critic and historian of children's literature. His many books include Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom and Margaret Wise Brown: Awakened by the Moon. He lives in New York.