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Lord of the Flies
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Lord of the Flies Paperback - 2003

by William Golding

  • Used
  • Paperback

The classic tale of a group of English school boys who are left stranded on an unpopulated island, and who must confront not only the defects of their society but the defects of their own natures.

Description

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Details

  • Title Lord of the Flies
  • Author William Golding
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition Reissue
  • Condition New
  • Pages 224
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Perigee Books, New York
  • Date 2003-12-16
  • Features Table of Contents
  • Bookseller's Inventory # 4CNO3H001PCI
  • ISBN 9780399501487 / 0399501487
  • Weight 0.3 lbs (0.14 kg)
  • Dimensions 7.4 x 4.1 x 0.7 in (18.80 x 10.41 x 1.78 cm)
  • Reading level 770
  • Themes
    • Catalog Heading: Language Arts/Literature
    • Cultural Region: Great Lakes
    • Cultural Region: Mexican
    • Cultural Region: Midwest
    • Curriculum Strand: Language Arts/Literature
    • Geographic Orientation: Illinois
    • Topical: Home School
  • Library of Congress subjects Survival after airplane accidents,, Islands
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 59011717
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC

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About this book

  Even though Lord of the Flies is a frequent submission on any banned books list, many high school students are first introduced to this classic piece of literature in their freshman English class. Using very young protagonists set in a harsh, wild environment, author William Golding's disturbing and engaging novel addresses the themes of human nature and personal welfare, often resulting in violence and murder. Despite its controversial subject matter, it is often considered one of the best novels of the 20th Century.

Lord of the Flies turned Golding into a household name, and although Lord of the Flies was his most popular book, he remained a successful author long after its publication. In fact, Golding was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1983, where he remarked that he sought to “...illuminate the human condition in the world of today” through his novels.

Published in 1954 in London by Faber and Faber, Lord of the Flies has sold over millions of copies worldwide. It has been translated into many languages, including Basque and Catalan. Evidently, even though the book focuses on the trials and tribulations of twelve young boys, the themes and archetypes resonate with all readers. 


Summary

At the dawn of the next world war, a plane crashes on an uncharted island, stranding a group of schoolboys. At first, with no adult supervision, their freedom is something to celebrate. This far from civilization they can do anything they want. Anything. But as order collapses, as strange howls echo in the night, as terror begins its reign, the hope of adventure seems as far removed from reality as the hope of being rescued.

From the publisher

Born in Cornwall, England, in 1911 and educated at Oxford University, William Gerald Golding's first book, Poems, was published in 1935. Following a stint in the Royal Navy and other diversions during and after World War II, Golding wrote Lord of the Flies while teaching school. This was the first of several novels including Pincher Martin, Free Fall, and The Inheritors and a play, The Brass Butterfly, which led to his being awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1983.

First line

The boy with fair hair lowered himself down the last few feet of rock and began to pick his way toward the lagoon.

First Edition Identification

 First printings of the book feature the iconic jungle theme artwork on the dust jacket. Careful observers will note that the stick figures of the boys blend almost seamlessly into the wild and untamed environment around them, which was undoubtedly a very specific choice by the artist. Because of Golding's fame and influence as a writer, signed first printings are of Lord of the Flies are quite valuable, sometimes pricing as high as $30,000. 

Categories

Media reviews

"The most influential novel...since Salinger's Catcher in the Rye." 
-- Time

"Lord of the Flies [is my selection for The Book That Changed My Life] because it is both a story with a message and because it is a great tale of adventure. My advice about reading is to do a lot of it."
-- Stephen King, for the National Book Foundation, The Book That Changed My Life

"[T]his brilliant work is a frightening parody on man's return (in a few weeks) to that state of darkness from which it took him thousands of years to emerge. Fully to succeed, a fantasy must approach very close to reality. Lord of the Flies does. It must also be superbly written. It is." 
-- The New York Times Book Review
 
"[S]parely and elegantly written...Lord of the Flies is a grim anti-pastoral in which adults are disguised as children who replicate the worst of their elders' heritage of ignorance, violence, and warfare." 
-- Joyce Carol Oates, New York Review of Books

Citations

  • Booklist, 02/15/1992, Page 1100

About the author

William Golding was born in Cornwall, England, in 1911 and educated at Oxford University. His first book, Poems, was published in 1935. Following a stint in the Royal Navy during World War II, Golding wrote Lord of the Flies while teaching school. It was the first of several works, including the novels Pincher Martin, Free Fall, and The Inheritors and a play, The Brass Butterfly, which led to his being awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1983.

Lois Lowry is the two-time Newbery Award-winning author of Number the Stars, The Giver Quartet, and numerous other books for young adults.

Jennifer Buehler is an associate professor of educational studies at Saint Louis University and President of The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of the National Council of Teachers of English.

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