 Title page, designed by Richard Doyle | |
| Author | John Ruskin |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Richard Doyle Arthur Rackham (1932) |
| Cover artist | Richard Doyle Arthur Rackham (1932) |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fairy tale, fantasy, novel |
| Publisher | Smith, Elder & Co. (1851) |
Publication date | 1842 (book publication 1851) |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (hardback and paperback) |
| Pages | 56 pp |
| Text | The King of the Golden River at Wikisource |
The King of the Golden River or The Black Brothers: A Legend of Stiria is a fantasy story originally written in 1841 by John Ruskin for the twelve-year-old Effie (Euphemia) Gray, whom Ruskin later married.[1] It was published in book form in 1851, and became an early Victorian classic which sold out three editions. In the "Advertisement to the First Edition", which prefaces it, it is called a fairy tale, one, it might be added, that illustrates the triumph of love, kindness, and goodness over evil; however, it could also be characterised as a fable, a fabricated origin myth and a parable. It was illustrated with 22 illustrations by Richard Doyle (1824–1883).[2] A later edition was illustrated by Arthur Rackham in 1932.
- ^ Cf. 1841 on this timeline
- ^ John Ruskin, Sesame and Lilies, The Two Paths, The King of the Golden River, Everyman's Library, (New York: Dutton, 1907), 243