The story of an irrepressible orphan girl in the Swiss Alps, written in
1881, has long been one of the most beloved and best-selling children's
classics in the world. This hardcover edition features a gilt spine, a
silk ribbon marker, and beautiful full-color illustrations by Austrian
artist William Sharp.
Heidi's story begins when she is orphaned at the age of five and sent to
live with her reclusive, embittered grandfather on a mountainside above
a Swiss village. Heidi's grandfather has been estranged from the
villagers for years and he resents the child's arrival, but she wins his
affection with her enthusiasm and cheer. Her rural idyll is cruelly
interrupted, however, when her aunt sends her to the city to be a hired
companion to a wealthy girl in a wheelchair. Clara is delighted by her
new friend, but the family's strict housekeeper tries to repress Heidi's
high spirits and the girl begins to waste away, pining for her mountain
home. The resolution of Heidi's dilemma transforms the lives of everyone
around her and has entranced readers for generations with its vision of
the joys of country life and the power of love and friendship.