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Designed for school districts, educators, and students seeking to maximize performance on standardized tests, Webster's paperbacks take advantage of the fact that classics are frequently assigned readings in English courses. By using a running thesaurus at the bottom of each page, this edition of The Return by Walter de la Mare was edited for students who are actively building their vocabularies in anticipation of taking PSAT¿, SAT¿, AP¿ (Advanced Placement¿), GRE¿, LSAT¿, GMAT¿ or similar examinations.
PSAT¿ is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination Board and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation neither of which sponsors or endorses this book; SAT¿ is a registered trademark of the College Board which neither sponsors nor endorses this book; GRE¿, AP¿ and Advanced Placement¿ are registered trademarks of the Educational Testing Service which neither sponsors nor endorses this book, GMAT¿ is a registered trademark of the Graduate Management Admissions Council which is neither affiliated with this book nor endorses this book, LSAT¿ is a registered trademark of the Law School Admissions Council which neither sponsors nor endorses this product. All rights reserved. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Insidiously horrific, unrelentingly disturbing...
This story of `psychic possession', as other reviews state, is the first of its kind that I have encountered; so much so that, several chapters on, I was still half-believing that what the main character, Arthur Lawford, was experiencing was nothing more than a nightmare. But, really, it wasn't.

Deeply psychological, this `transformation' that he went through - that of suddenly and mysteriously taking in the face, form, and voice of someone named Sabathier (long-ago dead) - posed upon Lawford the nature of existence that he has had (back when he was still...well...*Lawford*).

It was upon seeing the reaction of the people around him that he realized who among his friends were worth trusting. He even began to have doubts as to the faith that his wife holds for him, and ultimately saw the many cracks that were there all along in his marriage.

There were also copious moments wherein the story touched on the philosophical, exploring questions on the nature of life, one's purpose for living, the presence of another plane of existence, reincarnation, and the power of evil.

Frankly, this is quite a depressing story, with the main character often deliberately derided or abandoned by those whose understanding he was hoping to count on. During those times, he questions his sanity and his very identity - is he still Lawford? Or has *Sabathier* taken over him completely? Is there still a remnant of his old self?

There is subtlety in the way the author took the horror factor up a notch in every chapter or new day that Lawford found himself still stuck with Sabathier's face. A face that provokes disquiet within anyone who chances to see it. Here, then, the gothic aspect emerges, as Lawford is forced more and more to stir only in the night when there is less chance of bumping into an old acquaintance. Sounds from the night, whisperings in the dark, and stealthy voices from another part of the house also collude to constantly drive him on the edge of sanity.

Though a bit difficult for me to wade through, what with the long dialogues and constant debates on whether he really is possessed or not, there is an unmistakable mastery in the way de la Mare presented a horror story with the evil not even wholly present or even completely explicable. It is more of the unease *within* that gives this story force.

"what was the end to be of this urgent dream called Life?"
The Dover edition that I read bills this book as being a horror classic. It was first published in 1922. Arthur Lawford is a man in a moment of spiritual crisis (a crisis that he does not even really realize for himself). He accidentally falls asleep in a graveyard on the tomb of Nicholas Sabathier. When he wakes up, he finds that he has taken on Sabathier's face, and what else?

I have read that De La Mare (who I only know through some poetry, vaguely) is known for his psychological horror stories. It's an interesting term: "psychological horror". If I understand what it means, then I would have to consider The Return a good illustration of the concept. In a modern horror book, the author would generally feel the need for a mounting body count and a final epic battle with swords between Sabathier and Lawford. You will find no such thing in the De La Mare.

The story is less about the story, in that sense. It is more about an exploration of human nature when the unthinkable happens. How does your wife react when you come home with someone else's face? How do you look at your own life after that? What does it reveal about your marriage? How does your community react? What do you do?

Actually, the best of modern horror often explores that very same theme. But most horror writers today would have felt as though the story had to be more...well...more horrifying. De La Mare has the strength to just let the thing be (for the most part) and as a result I was really impressed with how frightening and strange just a changed face alone would be. From the excessively normal Arthur at the beginning of the book, De La Mare carves a subject who throws light on a cruel marriage, a tender father, an unclear place in the world.

It is not a perfect book, by any means. I am not sure that I will immediately run out and look for another by De La Mare. Aspects of the ending are quite confusing, and not in a good unresolved way. Still, it was really interesting and I would still recommend it-- particularly if you do have a yen for what horror can be as a genre.

I would recommend the Dover edition. It is a slim book, and the 193 pages don't warrant the high prices that some of the other publishers are charging by calling it a classic. The introduction by S.T. Joshi is actually just the perfect length, and extremely clear.

Brilliant
I first encountered Walter de la Mare through his story 'Seaton's Aunt' in an anthology.This novel was my next read and it solidified my opinion of de la Mare as a tragically forgotten author of immense ability.

Though the blurb about the book sounds like a rather standard 'weird' narative, what stands out most about this novel is how deeply you are plunged into issues of emotion, psychology, philosophy, and spirituality.De la Mare's chief concern is the unseen world that is impossible to directly describe in words, and he demands careful reading and attention to every word, but rewards with a deep and grand vision that is rarely even attempted at, nevermind accomplished.

Being a fairly inexpensive paperback, and a relatively short novel, it's a great introduction to the world of de la Mare before tackling his short story collections. ... Read more

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A beloved classic of children’s poetry

“Only the rarest kind of best in anything can be good enough for the young,” wrote Walter de la Mare, and this handsome reissue of Rhymes and Verses, an anthology of all his poems for children, does indeed offer the “rarest kind of best” to a new generation of young people.

De la Mare’s verse recaptures the direct appeal of the nursery rhyme in poems of amazing variety, poems marked by charm and freshness and an irresistible rhythmic force and immediacy. They should be part of every child’s reading experience.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Childhood poems by de la Mare
This book is a collection of most (but not all) of Walter de la Mare's charming childhood poetry.There are very sweet illustrations, and the book was in great quality (I bought it used).A wonderful book for my collection of children's books and poetry books.

a joy!
I discovered the work of Walter de la Mare poem by poem. Reading through anthologies, I picked poems I liked, and often found his name at the bottom of them. I recently bought this anthology, which puts together several of his earlier volumes of poetry for young people. Young, I think, is any age under 130. I am 42 years young, and love the magic de la Mare makes with language.
Highly recommended! ... Read more

Product Description
Collected Poems 1901-1918 in Two Volumes - Volume II. is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Walter De la Mare is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Walter De la Mare then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

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Formatted for Kindle.
Linked Contents.

Sample of Contents:

Volume 1
Lyrical poems
Characters from Shakespeare
Sonnets
Memories of childhood
The Listeners
Motley

Volume 2
Songs of Childhood ... Read more

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Graham Greene, a long-standing admirer of Walter de la Mare, once produced a list of his 17 favorite de la Mare short stories as "...one man's choice of what he could not, under any circumstances, spare....Prose unequalled in its richness since the death of James, or, dare one say...Robert Louis Stevenson." For many, Walter de la Mare is as great a writer of fiction as of poetry. Sadly, the majority of his short stories have been unavailable for some time. Now this welcome volume, the first of three, brings together more than 40 stories written between 1895 and 1926, including "The Riddle and Other Stories," "Ding Dong Bell," "The Connoisseur and Other Stories," "Kismet," and 14 previously uncollected pieces. A literary event of major significance. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

An excellent collection
This volume collects a few volumes of de la Mare's short stories, as well as gathering together previously uncollected stories.If you're at all interested in de la Mare's gloomy, poetic prose, there's much material here to sink your teeth into.

A great storyteller and stylist
I'm very high on this book and its companion volume, because it gives us something that for many years has been difficult to come by: a feast of De la Mare's elegant fictional prose in the short story form.

De la Mare's fiction has been available in mere piecemeal form for decades now, despite his considerable distinction as a writer of stories. In part, I think, it's because he was bucking the prevalent trends of his time in the writing of prose, as well as approach. He seems almost to come from an earlier generation.

That's not to say he's outmoded. His thinking and construction are every bit as sophisticated as his use of language; but the angle of attack is more poetic than realistic or naturalistic. He has something of a reputation as a writer of supernatural fiction, but that's a bit misleading. He wrote distinguished supernatural fiction, of course, but it might be more accurate to call him the poet of the unseen. There are dramatic scenes in his work, but it's interesting to consider how much happens offstage, and how much is implied rather than shown. It's a highly nuanced method, and understandably adaptable to the story of the supernatural, when it suited the author's purposes.

This particular volume contains several of his best stories. I'll single out for particular praise "Miss Duveen," "Seaton's Aunt" (one of the most harrowing stories of its length in English), and an especial favorite, the long story "The Almond Tree."

The rest of the book is worth one's time, too. The companion volume is every bit as high in quality. With two large volumes of stories in this series, all I can say is I regret there aren't any more. (There's a book of stories for children to follow, but that's a different category, with different rules.)

If you like de la Mare, you might find A. E. Coppard to your taste, also. ... Read more

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This is the second volume of three, which will republish all 100 short stories of Walter de la Mare, one of the leading British poets and novelists of the 20th century. ... Read more

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Walter de la Mare (1873-1956) was born in Charlton, Kent. In 1890, aged 16, he began work in the statistics department of the London office of Anglo-American Oil. In 1907 he published his first collection of poems under the pseudonym Walter Ramal, but he soon established a wide popular reputation in his own name as a leading poet of the Georgian period with volumes like The Listeners (1912), Peacock Pie (1913), Motley (1918) and The Veil (1921). This selection combines poems written for adults and children, the latter of which W. H. Auden commends as unrivalled in their 'revelation of the wonders of the English language...' ... Read more

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Complementing his "Collected Poems", this volume gathers together all Walter de la Mare's poems for children. The book includes what, for the adult, are among his greatest "pure" lyrics. His descriptions of birds, beasts and natural phenomena are judged particularly sharp and accurate. ... Read more

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Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free.This is an OCR edition with typos.Excerpt from book:kind of wistful mockery, at the thought of an immortality where all is typical and nothing real:And you'll no longer swing and sway Divinely down the scented shade, Where feet to Ambulation fade, And moons are lost in endless Day. How shall we wind these wreaths of ours, Where there are neither heads nor flowers? . . . Next, he momentarily wafts himself into the being of a Shade:So a poor ghost, beside his misty streams, Is haunted by strange doubts, evasive dreams, Hints of a pre-Lethean life, of men, Stars, rocks, and flesh, things unintelligible, And light on waving grass, he knows not when; And feet that ran, but where, he cannot tell. Next, he deprecates the possibility of a future life even as tenuous and nebulous as this:Poor straws! on the dark flood we catch awhile, Cling, and are borne into the night apart. The laugh dies with the lips, " Love " with the lover. And, again, he is lost in rapture at the possibility which he mocked at in the first poem, sighed at inchapter{Section 4the second, belittled in the third, and denied in the fourth:Not dead, not undesirous yet,Still sentient, still unsatisfied, We'll ride the air, and shine, and flit, Around the places where we died,And dance as dust before the sun, And light of foot, and unconfmed, Hurry from road to road, and run About the errands of the wind. And every mote, on earth or air,Will speed and gleam, down later days,And like a secret pilgrim fare By eager and invisible ways, Nor ever rest, nor ever lie,Till, beyond thinking, out of view,One mote of all the dust that's IShall meet one atom that was you.Then in some garden hushed from wind,Warm in a sunset's afterglow, The lovers in the flowers will find A sweet and strange... ... Read more

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Hardbound collection of rhymes & poems for the young of all ages. 777 pages. ... Read more

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This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Poetry / General; Poetry / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh; ... Read more

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Walter de la Mare (1873-1956) is a writer due for reappraisal. Well-known in his own lifetime, with a wide circle of friends - Edward Thomas, Rupert Brooke, Katherine Mansfield and Thomas Hardy - he has been largely ignored by recent critics. Few know of his personal life, of his loving but difficult marriage, and the passionate and platonic affair with Naomi Royde-Smith which was so crucial to his poetry. This biography examines all aspects of de la Mare's life and art. ... Read more

Product Description
This classic fairy story tells of the magical adventures of John Cobbler, a boy who undertakes a perilous quest to release a beautiful fish girl from her cruel enchantment. This is one of the "Walker Treasures" series - a collection of classic works of literature for children. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A charming set of fairy tales
In this book Walter De La Mare has written four fairy tales, and the best one of them is "Lord Fish". In it he tells us for the story of John Cobbler, an indolent young man who likes to fish more than everythingelse. The desire for finding new places to angle fish there one day driveshim in the forsaken lands where once lived an evil wizard and there hefinds something as horrible as sorrowful, as beautiful and the adventure hetakes later, is going to change his life and the life of his mother.. Therest of the tales are very enjoyable too, but the first one is the best ofthem. Truly, Walter De La Mare has written some of the most beautiful talesI've ever read, all in a superior for this genre style. You reallyshouldn't miss this book. ... Read more