The Neverending Book - Hardcover

by Naoki Matayoshi (Author), Shinsuke Yoshitake (Author), Kendall Heitzman (Translator)

An aged, near-blind, book-loving king sends two of his subjects out into the world to learn about unusual and magical books. One year later, they return to tell the whimsical, tender, and touching stories they've learned.

Among them are: a book that runs faster than a cheetah, a pair of books that are identical twins, a diary shared by two children with painful secrets, a photo album left by a dying father for when his daughter gets married, and the most romantic story in the world . . .

From the comically irreverent to the heartrending to the heartwarming, The Neverending Book delves into all that a book can be, forming an enchanting compendium that reveals the ways in which we interact with books and the importance they hold in our hearts. Imaginative and playful, The Neverending Book is an unforgettable love letter to literature.

Back Jacket

Once there was a wise king who loved books.

But the king was very old, and he couldn't see well enough to read anymore. So the king summoned two men to his castle to send them on a quest:

I adore books. You wouldn't believe how many I've read in my life. I command the two of you to wander the world for the strangest, most interesting, most wonderful books. And I want you to return in one year to tell me what you have found. . . .

The two men set out on their journey. A year later they returned. By then, the king could no longer so much as sit up in bed. Night after night, the two men took turns telling him the stories they collected--tales of detective novels, romances, comedies, diaries, and quests.

The book in your hands is the story of the books they found--and of what happened next.