The House of Arden
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 Early edition cover | |
| Author | E. Nesbit |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | H. R. Millar |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fantasy, Children's Novel |
| Publisher | T. Fisher Unwin |
Publication date | 1908 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Followed by | Harding's Luck |
The House of Arden is a novel for children written by the English author E. Nesbit and published in 1908.
A boy named Edred Arden inherits the title of Lord Arden and the dilapidated Arden Castle. He and his sister Elfrida are treasure hunting for the lost treasure of the Ardens and, with the help of the magical Mouldiwarp, they travel back in time searching for clues. The past events they witness include
- 1807: Napoleon's planned invasion of the United Kingdom, the British military response, and the smuggling around Dymchurch Bay (called "Lymchurch" in the story)
- c. 1705: a visit from the "Chevalier St. George" (the Old Pretender) during the reign of Queen Anne
- 1605: the Gunpowder Plot and a meeting with Sir Walter Raleigh in the Tower of London, from which the children escape using the same stratagem that Lady Nithsdale used in 1717
- ca. 1535: a May Day celebration with Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII, with premonitions of Anne's execution.
The final episode, in which the children rescue their father from a lost civilization in South America, is reminiscent of the legends of El Dorado and other Cities of Gold.
Sequel
A sequel, Harding's Luck, was published in 1909, in which the nominally Tudor character of "cousin Richard Arden", who acts somewhat mysteriously in the original book, including recognising a Kodak camera, is given something of a backstory.[1]
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