Lord of the Flies Paperback - 2003
by William Golding; Afterword by Lois Lowry; Contribution by Jennifer Buehler
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.
About this book
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
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.
Details
- Title Lord of the Flies
- Author William Golding; Afterword by Lois Lowry; Contribution by Jennifer Buehler
- Binding Paperback
- Edition Reissue
- Pages 224
- Volumes 1
- Language ENG
- Publisher Perigee Books, New York
- Date 2003-12-16
- 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
Media reviews
-- 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, 07/01/1999, Page 1935
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