What do you think?
Rate this book
The Golden Touch
The Golden Touch is a classic short story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The story follows the life of King Midas, who is granted the power to turn anything he touches into gold by the god Dionysus. At first, King Midas is thrilled with his newfound ability and begins to turn everything he touches into gold. However, he soon realizes that his gift is actually a curse as he cannot eat, drink or touch his loved ones without turning them into gold. The story explores themes of greed, the dangers of excessive wealth and the importance of appreciating the simple things in life. As King Midas learns the hard way, wealth and material possessions cannot replace the love and warmth of human relationships. The Golden Touch is a timeless tale that has been adapted into various forms of media, including plays, operas, and films. It is a must-read for anyone interested in classic literature and moral fables.THIS 32 PAGE ARTICLE WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE A Wonder-Book for Boys and Girls, by Nathaniel Hawthorne. To purchase the entire book, please order ISBN 0766196798.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1851
About the author
Nathaniel Hawthorne
5,513 books3,670 followersNathaniel Hawthorne was a 19th century American novelist and short story writer. He is seen as a key figure in the development of American literature for his tales of the nation's colonial history.
Shortly after graduating from Bowdoin College, Hathorne changed his name to Hawthorne. Hawthorne anonymously published his first work, a novel titled Fanshawe, in 1828. In 1837, he published Twice-Told Tales and became engaged to painter and illustrator Sophia Peabody the next year. He worked at a Custom House and joined a Transcendentalist Utopian community, before marrying Peabody in 1842. The couple moved to The Old Manse in Concord, Massachusetts, later moving to Salem, the Berkshires, then to The Wayside in Concord. The Scarlet Letter was published in 1850, followed by a succession of other novels. A political appointment took Hawthorne and family to Europe before returning to The Wayside in 1860. Hawthorne died on May 19, 1864, leaving behind his wife and their three children.
Much of Hawthorne's writing centers around New England and many feature moral allegories with a Puritan inspiration. His work is considered part of the Romantic movement and includes novels, short stories, and a biography of his friend, the United States President Franklin Pierce.
Shortly after graduating from Bowdoin College, Hathorne changed his name to Hawthorne. Hawthorne anonymously published his first work, a novel titled Fanshawe, in 1828. In 1837, he published Twice-Told Tales and became engaged to painter and illustrator Sophia Peabody the next year. He worked at a Custom House and joined a Transcendentalist Utopian community, before marrying Peabody in 1842. The couple moved to The Old Manse in Concord, Massachusetts, later moving to Salem, the Berkshires, then to The Wayside in Concord. The Scarlet Letter was published in 1850, followed by a succession of other novels. A political appointment took Hawthorne and family to Europe before returning to The Wayside in 1860. Hawthorne died on May 19, 1864, leaving behind his wife and their three children.
Much of Hawthorne's writing centers around New England and many feature moral allegories with a Puritan inspiration. His work is considered part of the Romantic movement and includes novels, short stories, and a biography of his friend, the United States President Franklin Pierce.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 6, 2022
This rating is for the edition illustrated by Paul Galdone.
April 10, 2018
A delightfully illustrated story with such a rewarding moral! I enjoyed it as a ten-year-old also! Fun entertaining read!
Want to Read
April 24, 2020it is inspiring how A WRITER ADDS SO MANY good words to this classic
January 19, 2023
Taught a good lesson on the matter of greed and wealth!
January 30, 2023
Hawthorne is such a wonderful storyteller. My 10yo son smiled and said “Yay” at the end of this story. 😄
March 14, 2023
A short retelling of the classic myth, it’s alright, but not a stand-out by any means. Enjoyable, but ordinary; albeit, the vocabulary in this story and the sentence structure is appealing.
June 11, 2026
top 2 most predictable story ever, and it’s not number 2
October 4, 2017
The author of The Scarlet Letter rewrites the myth about the man a with the golden touch.
Hawthorne stuck pretty close to the source material, only adding to it by creating a daughter for Midas, appropriately named Marygold. I think you can probably guess what he does to her.
Written for children, he also laced his narrative with some handy advice and reflection. This nugget particularly shone bright as it reminded me of something I can remember thinking about:
'Now, I need hardly remind such wise little people as you are, that in the old, old times, when King Midas was alive, a great many things came to pass, which we should consider wonderful if they were to happen in our own day and country. And, on the other hand, a great many things take place nowadays, which seem not only wonderful to us, but at which the people of old times would have stared their eyes out.'
The 1879 publication of A Wonder Book for Boys and Girls by Houghton Mifflin contained three striking illustrations by Walter Crane.
Hawthorne stuck pretty close to the source material, only adding to it by creating a daughter for Midas, appropriately named Marygold. I think you can probably guess what he does to her.
Written for children, he also laced his narrative with some handy advice and reflection. This nugget particularly shone bright as it reminded me of something I can remember thinking about:
'Now, I need hardly remind such wise little people as you are, that in the old, old times, when King Midas was alive, a great many things came to pass, which we should consider wonderful if they were to happen in our own day and country. And, on the other hand, a great many things take place nowadays, which seem not only wonderful to us, but at which the people of old times would have stared their eyes out.'
The 1879 publication of A Wonder Book for Boys and Girls by Houghton Mifflin contained three striking illustrations by Walter Crane.
March 22, 2016
A nice edition of Nathaniel Hawthorne's version of the story of King Midas and the Golden Touch. The illustrations are in three colors, somewhat stylized, and very effective. A great story.
October 15, 2015
The classic story beautifully illustrated!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews