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Joan Aiken (1924–2004)

Author of The Wolves of Willoughby Chase

203+ Works 17,890 Members 415 Reviews 76 Favorited
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About the Author

Joan Delano Aiken was born in Rye, Sussex, England, on September 4, 1924, the daughter of the Pulitzer Prize winner, writer Conrad Aiken. She was raised in a rural area and home schooled by her mother until the age 12. She then attended Wychwood School, a boarding school in Oxford. Her work first show more appeared in 1941 when the British Broadcasting Corporation, where she worked as a librarian, broadcast some of her short stories on their Children's Hour program. Aiken also worked at St. Thomas's Hospital, and in 1943 she moved to the reference department of the London office of the United Nations, where she collected information about resistance movements. She worked for the UN until 1949, all the while continuing to write stories. In 1953 a collection of short fiction called All You've Ever Wanted and Other Stories was published. While writing The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, begun in 1952, her husband became ill and died of lung cancer in 1955. After working for five years as a copy editor at Argosy Magazine, and at the J. Walter Thompson Advertising Firm, she returned and finished the book in 1963. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase won the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award and was made into a successful film in 1988. In 1969 The Whispering Mountain won the Guardian Children's Book Award, and in 1972, Night Fall won America's Edgar Allen Poe Award for juvenile mystery. Aiken is best known for her adult "fantasy" stories. She has received awards for children's fiction and for mystery fiction, and has also written ''sequels'' to Jane Austen books. She collaborated with her daughter to write many episodes of her Arabel and Mortimer the raven series for the BBC. In all, Aiken wrote 92 novels - including 27 for adults - as well as plays, poems and short stories, although she was best known as a writer of children's stories. Joan Aiken died in January of 2004 at the age of 79. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: Rod Delroy

Series

Works by Joan Aiken

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (1962) 3,421 copies
Black Hearts in Battersea (1964) 1,101 copies
Nightbirds on Nantucket (1966) 891 copies
Midnight Is a Place (1974) 579 copies
The Stolen Lake (1981) 533 copies
The Whispering Mountain (1968) 520 copies
The Cuckoo Tree (1971) 488 copies
Dido and Pa (1986) 397 copies
Arabel's Raven (1972) 302 copies
Midwinter Nightingale (2003) 292 copies
Is Underground (1992) 263 copies
Limbo Lodge (1998) 239 copies
Eliza's Daughter (1994) 231 copies
Cold Shoulder Road (1995) 230 copies
Go Saddle the Sea (1977) 226 copies
The Shadow Guests (1980) 204 copies
The Witch of Clatteringshaws (2005) 202 copies
Bridle the Wind (1983) 158 copies
The Five-Minute Marriage (1977) 157 copies
The Teeth of the Gale (1988) 151 copies
The Moon's Revenge (1987) 146 copies
The Cockatrice Boys (1993) 141 copies
Lady Catherine's Necklace (2000) 140 copies
Deception (1987) 135 copies
The Youngest Miss Ward (1998) 133 copies
Castle Barebane (1976) 128 copies
Emma Watson (1996) 126 copies
A Touch of Chill (1979) 119 copies
Night Fall (1969) 112 copies
The Smile of the Stranger (1978) 102 copies
A Harp of Fishbones (1972) 95 copies
The Weeping Ash (1980) 94 copies
The Haunting of Lamb House (1991) 90 copies
A Whisper in the Night (1982) 86 copies
The Girl from Paris (1982) 82 copies
The Kingdom and the Cave (1960) 79 copies
All But a Few (1974) 78 copies
The Crystal Crow (1975) 76 copies
Died on a Rainy Sunday (1972) 76 copies
Beware of the Bouquet (1966) 74 copies
The Embroidered Sunset (1970) 74 copies
Mortimer's Cross (1983) 74 copies
The Butterfly Picnic (1972) 69 copies
Mortimer Says Nothing (1985) 67 copies
Blackground (1989) 66 copies
A Foot in the Grave (1989) 65 copies
Morningquest (1992) 63 copies
A Creepy Company (1993) 57 copies
The Silence of Herondale (1964) 54 copies
Haunting Christmas Tales: An Anthology (1630) — Contributor — 54 copies
Dark Interval (1967) 49 copies
Last Movement (1977) 46 copies
Is / Cold Shoulder Road (1992) 44 copies
Mortimer's Bread Bin (1974) 44 copies
Foul Matter (1614) — Author — 43 copies
Give Yourself a Fright (1989) 41 copies
The Fortune Hunters (1965) 38 copies
A Handful of Gold (1995) 36 copies
The Spiral Stair (1979) 35 copies
The Scream (2002) 35 copies
Voices in an empty house (1975) 34 copies
Voices (1988) 32 copies
The Kitchen Warriors (1983) 31 copies
Mortimer's Tie (1976) 31 copies
The Erl King's Daughter (1988) 31 copies
A Goose on Your Grave (1987) 30 copies
Ghostly Beasts (1621) 30 copies
The Shoemaker's Boy (1993) 28 copies
Mice and Mendelson (1978) 28 copies
Dead Man's Lane (1996) 27 copies
Moon Cake and Other Stories (1998) 25 copies
The Jewel Seed (1997) 22 copies
The Wooden Dragon (2004) 19 copies
All and More (1971) 18 copies
Chilling Christmas Tales (1992) — Contributor — 18 copies
Girl's Choice (1969) 13 copies
In Thunder's Pocket (1600) 12 copies
Street: A Play (1978) 12 copies
Bone and Dream (2002) 10 copies
The Skin Spinners: Poems (1850) 9 copies
The Midnight Moropus (1993) 9 copies
Silver Jackanory (1991) 9 copies
The Song of Mat and Ben (2001) 8 copies
Mortimer's Mine (1995) 8 copies
Mayhem in Rumbury (1995) 6 copies
The Fog Hounds (1999) 6 copies
The Rented Swan 4 copies
Mitox (I) 3 copies
Simply the Best (1996) 3 copies
Oxford Literacy Web (2000) 2 copies
Verräter des Lichts (1999) 2 copies
Mortimer's Pocket (1994) 2 copies
Best of Shadows (1979) 1 copy
Pokój pełen liści (1987) 1 copy
The Cold Flame (1969) 1 copy
1992 1 copy
1991 1 copy
Arbol espejo, el (1991) 1 copy
Drømmen om et ansigt (1977) 1 copy
Find Me 1 copy
Verborgene Zuflucht (1996) 1 copy
Ribs of Death (1975) 1 copy
Goblin Music 1 copy

Associated Works

The Portrait of a Lady (1881) — Introduction, some editions — 10,770 copies
The Railway Children (1905) — Introduction, some editions — 5,834 copies
The Princess and the Goblin (1872) — Introduction, some editions — 5,440 copies
Eight Cousins (1875) — Afterword, some editions — 4,543 copies
The Blue Fairy Book (1889) — Introduction, some editions — 3,678 copies
A Girl of the Limberlost (1909) — Afterword, some editions — 2,657 copies
My Brilliant Career (1901) — Introduction, some editions — 1,197 copies
The Oxford Book of Modern Fairy Tales (1993) — Contributor — 368 copies
Gobbolino the Witch's Cat (1942) — Foreword, some editions — 358 copies
Gothic: Ten Original Dark Tales (2004) — Contributor — 350 copies
Fantasy Stories (1994) — Contributor — 323 copies
The Unbearable Bassington (1912) — Introduction, some editions — 307 copies
The Mammoth Book of Haunted House Stories (2000) — Contributor — 295 copies
The Collected Ghost Stories of E. F. Benson (1992) — Foreword, some editions — 290 copies
The Mammoth Book of Historical Detectives (1995) — Contributor — 223 copies
The Penguin Book of Modern Fantasy by Women (1995) — Contributor — 164 copies
The Pan Book of Horror Stories (1959) — Contributor — 156 copies
The Virago Book of Ghost Stories (2006) — Contributor — 138 copies
The Random House Book of Ghost Stories (1991) — Contributor — 135 copies
The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories (1984) — Contributor — 122 copies
Bestiary! (1985) — Contributor — 122 copies
Night Terrors: Stories of Shadow and Substance (1996) — Contributor — 104 copies
The Fantastic Imagination II (1978) — Contributor — 96 copies
The Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror 2012 Edition (2012) — Contributor — 89 copies
The Angel Inn (1863) — Translator, some editions — 89 copies
Mystery Stories: An Intriguing Collection (1996) — Contributor — 85 copies
Scary! Stories That Will Make You Scream (1998) — Contributor — 83 copies
65 Great Spine Chillers (1988) — Contributor — 79 copies
Classic Fairy Tales to Read Aloud (1996) — Contributor — 77 copies
The English Landscape: Its Character and Diversity (1700) — Contributor — 76 copies
The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 23 (2012) — Contributor — 75 copies
Stories for Seven Year Olds (Young Puffin Books) (1964) — Contributor — 72 copies
Visions: 19 Short Stories (1987) — Contributor — 72 copies
The Uncanny Reader: Stories from the Shadows (2015) — Contributor — 68 copies
The Random House Book of Fantasy Stories (1963) — Contributor — 66 copies
Nightshade: 20th Century Ghost Stories (1999) — Contributor — 64 copies
The Mammoth Book of Fairy Tales (1997) — Contributor — 62 copies
Over the Rainbow Tales of Fantasy and Imagination (1983) — Contributor — 62 copies
Skin of the Soul (1990) — Contributor — 59 copies
The Kingfisher Treasury of Princess Stories (2001) — Contributor — 54 copies
Strangeness (1977) — Contributor — 52 copies
Dancing With the Dark (1999) — Contributor — 49 copies
The Fontana Book of Great Horror Stories (1966) — Contributor — 39 copies
Short Circuits (1992) — Contributor — 35 copies
Breaking the Spell: Tales of Enchantment (1997) — Contributor — 29 copies
Is Anyone There? (1978) — Contributor — 27 copies
Christmas Forever (1993) — Contributor — 25 copies
Drabble II: Double Century (1990) — Contributor — 25 copies
Girls' Adventure Stories of Long Ago (1900) — Contributor — 24 copies
Shivers for Christmas (1995) — Contributor — 23 copies
Merchants of Menace: An Anthology of Mystery Stories (1969) — Contributor — 20 copies
Ghostly Haunts (1994) — Contributor — 19 copies
Out of Time (1984) — Contributor — 18 copies
Nightfrights (1972) — Contributor — 17 copies
The Thorny Paradise: Writers on Writing for Children (1975) — Contributor — 15 copies
All Hallow's Eve (1992) — Contributor — 15 copies
The Ghost's Companion (1975) — Contributor — 15 copies
A Book of Girls' Stories (1964) — Contributor — 14 copies
Ghosts That Haunt You (1980) — Contributor — 14 copies
John Creasey's Crime Collection, 1985 (1985) — Contributor — 13 copies
Visions and Imaginations: Classic Fantasy Fiction (2005) — Contributor — 13 copies
Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet No. 27 (2011) — Contributor — 11 copies
The Puffin Book of Ghosts and Ghouls (1992) — Contributor — 11 copies
Silent Night (Christmas Ghost Stories) (2002) — Contributor — 11 copies
Guardian Angels (1987) — Contributor — 11 copies
The Haunted and the Haunters (1975) — Contributor — 10 copies
To Break the Silence (1986) — Contributor — 9 copies
Hundreds and Hundreds (1984) — Contributor — 8 copies
The Methuen Book of Strange Tales (1980) — Contributor — 7 copies
Dollmaker and Other Sinister Stories (1982) — Contributor — 7 copies
Spirits Spooks and Other Sinister Creatures (1984) — Contributor — 7 copies
Ghostly, grim and gruesome: An anthology (1976) — Contributor — 7 copies
John Creasey's Crime Collection, 1981 (1981) — Contributor — 6 copies
John Creasey's Crime Collection, 1979 (1979) — Contributor — 6 copies
Thrilling Adventure Stories (1988) — Contributor — 5 copies
Supernatural Stories: Thirteen Tales of the Unexpected (1987) — Contributor — 5 copies
Venomous Tales of Villainy and Vengeance: An Anthology (1984) — Contributor — 5 copies
John Creasey's Crime Collection, 1989 (1989) — Contributor — 5 copies
Secret City: Strange Tales of London (1997) — Contributor — 5 copies
Sechsundreißig mal Gänsehaut (1984) — Author — 4 copies
John Creasey's Crime Collection, 1984 (1984) — Contributor — 4 copies
Cricket Magazine, Vol. 4, No. 7, March 1977 (1977) — Contributor — 4 copies
Cricket Magazine, Vol. 4, No. 4, December 1976 (1976) — Contributor — 4 copies
Cricket Magazine, Vol. 3, No. 1, September 1975 (1975) — Contributor — 3 copies
Cricket Magazine, Vol. 2, No. 10, June 1975 (1975) — Contributor — 3 copies
John Creasey's Crime Collection, 1978 (1978) — Contributor — 3 copies
Cricket Magazine, Vol. 4, No. 5, January 1977 (1977) — Contributor — 3 copies
Cricket Magazine, Vol. 3, No. 3, November 1975 (1975) — Contributor — 3 copies
Cricket Magazine, Vol. 3, No. 7, March 1976 (1976) — Contributor — 3 copies
Cricket Magazine, Vol. 2, No. 4, December 1974 (1974) — Contributor — 3 copies
Cricket Magazine, Vol. 4, No. 9, May 1977 (1977) — Contributor — 2 copies
John Creasey's Mystery Bedside Book 1971 (1970) — Contributor — 2 copies
YOUNG WINTER'S TALES 4. (1973) — Contributor — 2 copies
Scaremongers (1997) — Contributor — 2 copies
The Cat-Flap and the Apple Pie and Other Funny Stories (1979) — Contributor — 2 copies
Horrifying and Hideous Hauntings (1986) — Contributor — 2 copies
A Chilling Collection (1979) — Contributor — 2 copies
John Creasey's Crime Collection, 1980 (1980) — Contributor — 2 copies
Argosy - November 1958 (1958) — Contributor — 1 copy
Cold Feet (Lightning) (1989) — Contributor — 1 copy
Young Winter's Tales 6 (1975) — Contributor — 1 copy
Young Winter's Tales 2 (1971) — Contributor — 1 copy

Tagged

19th century (635) adventure (328) alternate history (387) American (234) American literature (401) anthology (862) British (261) children (759) children's (1,896) children's books (215) children's fiction (529) children's literature (782) classic (897) classics (959) ebook (269) England (492) fairy tales (880) family (212) fantasy (2,618) fiction (6,076) Folio Society (229) historical (181) historical fiction (416) horror (608) juvenile (331) juvenile fiction (210) kids (188) Kindle (261) literature (691) mystery (238) novel (645) own (225) read (499) romance (199) series (178) short stories (1,162) to-read (2,078) unread (328) YA (416) young adult (365)

Common Knowledge

Legal name
Goldstein, Joan Delano Aiken Brown
Birthdate
1924-09-04
Date of death
2004-01-04
Gender
female
Nationality
UK
Birthplace
Rye, East Sussex, England, UK
Place of death
Petworth, West Sussex, England, UK
Places of residence
London, England, UK
New York, USA
Education
Wychwood School for Girls, Oxford
Occupations
Children's Author
Novelist
Advertising Copywriter
Editor
Relationships
Aiken, Conrad (father)
Armstrong, Martin (stepfather)
Hodge, Jane Aiken (sister)
Aiken, John (brother)
Brown, Ronald George (husband)
Goldstein, Julius (husband) (show all 7)
Aiken, Lizza (daughter)
Organizations
BBC
Argosy
Awards and honors
Guardian Award (1969)
Edgar Allan Poe Award (1972)
Member of the Order of the British Empire (1999)
Agent
A. M. Heath & Co.
Short biography
Joan Aiken was an English writer who received the MBE for services to Children's Literature. She was known as a writer of wild fantasy, Gothic novels and short stories.

She was born in Rye, East Sussex, into a family of writers, including her father, Conrad Aiken (who won a Pulitzer Prize for his poetry), and her sister, Jane Aiken Hodge. She worked for the United Nations Information Office during the second world war, and then as an editor and freelance on Argosy magazine before she started writing full time, mainly children's books and thrillers. For her books she received the Guardian Award (1969) and the Edgar Allan Poe Award (1972).

Her most popular series, the "Wolves Chronicles" which began with The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, was set in an elaborate alternate period of history in a Britain in which James II was never deposed in the Glorious Revolution,and so supporters of the House of Hanover continually plot to overthrow the Stuart Kings. These books also feature cockney urchin heroine Dido Twite and her adventures and travels all over the world.

Another series of children's books about Arabel and her raven Mortimer are illustrated by Quentin Blake, and have been shown on the BBC as Jackanory and drama series. Others including the much loved Necklace of Raindrops and award winning Kingdom Under the Sea are illustrated by Jan Pieńkowski.

Her many novels for adults include several that continue or complement novels by Jane Austen. These include Mansfield Revisited and Jane Fairfax.

Aiken was a lifelong fan of ghost stories. She set her adult supernatural novel The Haunting of Lamb House at Lamb House in Rye (now a National Trust property). This ghost story recounts in fictional form an alleged haunting experienced by two former residents of the house, Henry James and E. F. Benson, both of whom also wrote ghost stories. Aiken's father, Conrad Aiken, also authored a small number of notable ghost stories.

Members

Discussions

THE DEEP ONES: "Cold Flame" by Joan Aiken in The Weird Tradition (September 2022)
THE DEEP ONES: "Reading in Bed" by Joan Aiken in The Weird Tradition (June 2022)
Joan Aiken romance- main female lead dies in Name that Book (March 2016)

Reviews

In the town of Blastburn, England, stands a dark mansion called Midnight Court. Midnight Mill, the town’s carpet factory, darkens the sky with its smoke. Gloom and hardship became a way of life to the millworkers when years before, the Murgatroyd family lost both the town and the factory to Sir Randolph. Young Lucas Bell endures a dismal existence at Midnight Court. His father, who had been Sir Randolph's business partner, is dead. Sir Randolph is an embittered drunkard who pays him scant attention, and Mr. Oakapple, his tutor, is a stern young man. When feisty Anna-Marie Murgatroyd comes to Midnight Court as Sir Randolph’s ward, she provides a welcome diversion in Lucas' life. Then, one dark winter night, Midnight Court is destroyed by fire. With no home and no money, Lucas and Anna-Marie roam the unfriendly streets of Blastburn. They eventually find odd jobs, rent an attic room, and help Nurse Mr. Oakapple back to health. When the children find Anna’s grandmother, Lady Murgatroyd, living in a cave in Midnight Court Park, they hope that she will be able to set things right.
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com
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kathymariemax | 13 other reviews | Feb 7, 2024 |
I thoroughly enjoyed The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken as part of the British Author Challenge. This book is really part of the reason I look at the challenges: I had not encountered Aiken and would not have without BAC. So, thank you to the curators of these challenges.

This was an adventure series featuring two girls who encounter what I could only think of as a series of unfortunate events (all due respect to Lemony Snickett). Adults are not what they seem and they are forced to rely on their own talents and resources to save themselves and their families.… (more)
 
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witchyrichy | 81 other reviews | Jan 28, 2024 |
'The Whispering Mountain' was one of my favourite books as a child. I must have read it quite a few times when I was young, but not since, and when I came to read it again I found I had completely forgotten the plot, other than it was an adventure story set in Wales and there was a mountain in it! But rereading it has reminded me why I loved the book so much in the first place.

Set in the same alternative nineteenth century world as 'The Wolves of Willoughby Chase', 'The Whispering Mountain' follows the adventures of Owen Hughes, wrongly accused of stealing the fabled Harp of Teirtu, (including by his own grandfather). But as Owen tries to clear his name by recapturing the harp, he discovers that there are other people apart from the original thieves who are interested in finding it, from the Marquess of Malyn in his castle on the coast to the Seljuk of the far-off land of Rum who is showing a surprising interest in a remote corner of Wales. But once the harp is found who is its legal owner? The marquess is convinced that it should be him, as the harp was found in the ruins of the old monastery of St. Ennodawg, on land owned by the Marquess, but Owen's grandfather, curator of the local museum, has different ideas:
''I am sure your legal knowledge is of the highest excellence,’ said the Marquess with a disdainful smile. ‘But in this instance it will not be needed. The deed says, in the plainest manner, that the grant of the island is made, not in perpetuity, but merely “so long as the Order of Ennodawg shall continue”. But where is the Order now, Mr Hughes? I think you will not dispute that the monastery is in ruins and has been so for the last fifty years? What has become of its gardens, its cattle, its furnishings? Gone, burned, stolen, decayed. Where are its monks, pray?’
‘In China,’ said Mr Hughes unexpectedly.
‘What?’ The Marquess, for once, was quite taken aback. ‘In China?’ he repeated. ‘What do you mean?’'


This was the only Joan Aiken] that I read as a child (although I've read 'The Wolves of Willoughby Chase' since) and it's one that deserves to be much better known. It's really got everything that a children's adventure story needs: adventure, close shaves with danger, an evil marquess and some real sadness too. Highly recommended.
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1 vote
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SandDune | 8 other reviews | Jan 14, 2024 |
Delightfully spooky and mysterious. Full of orphans, evil schoolmistresses and geese. While many of the themes are unoriginal, the writing is delightful and the characters sweet, brave, and endearing. It wraps up a bit too neatly, which maybe should be expected for a tween novel.
 
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mslibrarynerd | 81 other reviews | Jan 13, 2024 |

Lists

Ghosts (1)
1960s (1)

Awards

You May Also Like

Associated Authors

Lizza Aiken Introduction, Narrator, Afterword
Jan Pienkowski Illustrator
Robert Swindells Contributor
Gillian Cross Contributor
Quentin Blake Illustrator
Kelly Link Introduction
Alan Lee Illustrator
Garry Kilworth Contributor
Tessa Krailing Contributor
Jill Bennett Contributor
David Wyatt Illustrator
Susan Price Contributor
David Belbin Contributor
Caroline Crossland Illustrator
Arvis Stewart Illustrator
Peter Bailey Illustrator
Jan Pieńkowski Illustrator
Ian Strachan Contributor
Anthony Masters Contributor
Betty Fraser Illustrator
Belinda Downes Illustrator
Ian Andrew Illustrator
Amanda Harvey Illustrator
John Lawrence Illustrator
Krystyna Turska Illustrator
Malcolm Rose Contributor
K. M. Peyton Contributor
Bee Willey Illustrator
Geoffrey Trease Illustrator
Gavin Rowe Illustrator
Pat Marriott Illustrator
Paul Hess Cover artist
Mark Robertson Cover artist
Edward Gorey Cover artist
Jeremy (ed) Ford Cover artist
Robin Jacques Illustrator
Bill Bragg Illustrator
Tracey Hurst Cover designer
Jimmy Pickering Cover artist
Lars Leetaru Cover artist
Andrew Aloof Cover artist
Simon Bartram Cover artist
Murray Tinkelman Cover artist
Ingeborg Ullrich Illustrator
Frank Bozzo Illustrator
Charles Vess Cover artist
Inge M. Artl Translator
Susan Obrant Illustrator
Mary Grandpre Cover artist
Kevin Hawkes Illustrator
Honi Werner Cover designer
Garth Nix Introduction
Beth Adams Cover art
Andi Watson Illustrator
Sneha Mathan Narrator
Merritt Dekle Cover artist
Christer Eriksson Cover artist
Eric Bowman Cover artist
Margaret Walty Illustrator
Alix Berenzy Illustrator
Deirdre Wait Cover designer
Shelley Jackson Cover artist
Davina Porter Narrator
Simon Prebble Narrator
Helmut Degner Translator
Lou Marchetti Cover artist
Victor Ambrus Illustrator
Jo Worth Illustrator
Paul Warren Illustrator
Alan Marks Illustrator
Babette Cole Illustrator
Eros Keith Illustrator
Wayne Anderson Illustrator
Ken Rinciari Illustrator

Statistics

Works
203
Also by
123
Members
17,890
Popularity
#1,229
Rating
3.9
Reviews
415
ISBNs
1,004
Languages
20
Favorited
76

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