The Pied Piper of Hamelin, 1936 edition, by Robert Browning, artwork by Roger Duvoisin.

Written by Robert Browning. Illustrated by Roger Duvoisin. Published, 1936. Grosset & Dunlap, Inc., New York.

"Hamelin Town's in Brunswick
By famous Hanover City.
The river Weser, deep and wide,
Washes its walls on the southern side;
A pleasanter spot you never spied;
But when begins my ditty,
Almost five hundred years ago,
To see the townsfolk suffer so
From vermin, was a pity."

Robert Browning's Pied Piper of Hamelin retells the classic legend of a mysterious musician who saves a town from a plague of rats on the promise of generous payment, but is cheated by the greedy mayor and takes revenge by luring away the children. Browning wrote it to amuse his young friend Willy while he was recovering from an illness.

Robert Browning (1812-1889) was an English poet and playwright of the Victorian era acclaimed for his mastery of dramatic monologue and psychological portraiture, as well as his use of irony, dark humor, social commentary and challenging vocabulary and syntax. His most celebrated work is The Ring and the Book (1868-69), a long narrative poem based on a Roman murder trial. He married fellow poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning in 1846 and lived with her in Italy until her death in 1861. He achieved popular recognition and critical acclaim in his later years, and influenced many modern poets.

Roger Duvoisin (1900 - 1980) was a Swiss-born American author and illustrator who created many children's picture books. He won the 1948 Caldecott Medal for White Snow, Bright Snow, written by Alvin Tresselt, and was a runner-up for the 1968 Hans Christian Andersen Award for lifetime achievement in children's book illustration. He also collaborated with his wife Louise Fatio on the popular Happy Lion series. He was known for his humorous and expressive animal characters, such as Petunia the goose and Veronica the hippo, as well as his skillful use of color and design.

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Condition: Very Good. Lacks dust jacket, as issued. Illustrated paper cover boards: Moderate shelf wear; small scuff on the front; light soiling front and back; corners bumped; cloth spine is loose and separating, taped at the head and tail; name in pencil on front paste down; original bookstore label on front fly leaf. Pages: Light edge tanning; soiling along the bottom of copyright page. Pages are undamaged and complete.