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The Diverting History of John Gilpin: Showing How He Went Farther Than He Intended, and Came Safe Home Again
Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.
42 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1782
About the author
William Cowper
1,459 books58 followers
The Task
, best-known work of William Cowper, British poet, considered a precursor of romanticism, in 1785 praises rural life and leisure.
William Cowper served as an English hymnodist. Cowper, one most popular man of his time, wrote of everyday nature scenes of the English countryside and thus changed the direction of 18th century. In many ways, he foreran later authors. Samuel Taylor Coleridge called him "modern," whilst William Wordsworth particularly admired Yardley-Oak . He a nephew of Judith Madan.
From severe manic depression, Cowper suffered, found refuge in a fervent evangelical Christianity, the inspiration behind his much-loved hymns, often experienced doubt, and feared doom to eternal damnation. His religious sentiment and association with John Newton (who wrote Amazing Grace , the hymn) led to much memorable writing.
William Cowper served as an English hymnodist. Cowper, one most popular man of his time, wrote of everyday nature scenes of the English countryside and thus changed the direction of 18th century. In many ways, he foreran later authors. Samuel Taylor Coleridge called him "modern," whilst William Wordsworth particularly admired Yardley-Oak . He a nephew of Judith Madan.
From severe manic depression, Cowper suffered, found refuge in a fervent evangelical Christianity, the inspiration behind his much-loved hymns, often experienced doubt, and feared doom to eternal damnation. His religious sentiment and association with John Newton (who wrote Amazing Grace , the hymn) led to much memorable writing.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 18, 2018
The horse racing on the seal of the Caldecott medal comes from this story. Caldecott illustrated it, but William Cowper wrote the ballad. A man is going for a ride with his family when he mounts his horse and it wildly takes off. He races through the town and some think it's a race and others think the horse was stolen and John is trying to stop the horse. He eventually gets back home minus wig and hat.
I enjoy Caldecott's art. It's whimsical and fun and full of action. Of course not compared to modern standards. This is from the 1870's. The old English was a bit awkward to read at times. I still enjoyed it.
The kids kept asking what words meant. There was a lot they didn't understand at first and they did catch on.
I enjoy Caldecott's art. It's whimsical and fun and full of action. Of course not compared to modern standards. This is from the 1870's. The old English was a bit awkward to read at times. I still enjoyed it.
The kids kept asking what words meant. There was a lot they didn't understand at first and they did catch on.
April 5, 2018
This was a childhood favourite often read delightfully to me by my mum who had acquired second hand copy somewhere. Mum revelled in rhyme and knew many long poems off by heart. To have this beautifully illustrated to look at as she gleefully recited echo verse with mounting urgency in her voice as Gilpin encounters more and more problems as he tries to get to his own wedding feast. When mum first read this I only knew of William Cowper through his lovely but very serious hymns. IT was a joy to discover his sense of fun.
The book disappeared somewhere in a house move and I was delighted to find a copy of my own browsing a second hand book store on holiday one year.
The book disappeared somewhere in a house move and I was delighted to find a copy of my own browsing a second hand book store on holiday one year.
September 17, 2012
Obviously very old, but quite funny! Told in old British rhyme, it was an exciting, comical tale. The illustrations were both in color and just line drawings and contained much detail and sometimes humor. I'm very glad I read what Randolph Caldecott illustrated. If this was the first picture book for children, it's very easy to see how it impressed.
April 18, 2016
I read this because it is considered one of the first picture books for children ever published. I also read it because it is illustrated by Randolph Caldecott, for whom the Caldecott Award for illustrations named. I found it rather funny and the illustrations were cool.
January 29, 2013
An amusing literary comedy classic, much enhanced by Searle's illustrations.
March 1, 2013
very funny I read a 1905 edition illustrated by Robert Seaver, beautifully done.
December 10, 2014
Delightful!
June 8, 2018
I gave this two stars a few years ago as I didn’t really enjoy it. But I’ve read it again and found more appreciation for Cowper’s humour. It really is silly stuff.
March 12, 2025
Found an old edition of this book at my parents’ house. The text is from a poem by William Cowper written in 1782, but it’s perhaps better known today for the illustrations by Randolph Caldecott, it was one of his first two picture books published in 1878, making it one of the early illustrated children's books from the Golden Age of Illustration. The Caldecott medal, named for this illustrator, features an image from this book.
The poem tells the story of a man who is going on a trip with his wife and family to celebrate their wedding anniversary. They ride in the coach, while he is to follow on horseback. But the borrowed horse takes off out of control. While the format is relatively familiar as far as picture books go, the story seems more relatable to adults than children. Part of the story is he brings two stone jugs of wine which he puts in the scabbards of his sword belt for the ride.
One thing that confused me for a while was the occasional word at the end of a a line with a bracket before it. E.g.
“Then over all, that he might be
Equipped from top to toe,
His long red cloak, well brushed and
He manfully did throw. [neat,”
Eventually, I figured out that the word after the bracket is the conclusion of the line above (His long red cloak, well brushed and neat,”. The text is laid out in two columns side by side, and these were lines too long to fit. Today, typesetters adjust font size and spacing, but I suppose in the 1890s, they were limited to a small selection of physical type sizes.
The story is ok, though a tad challenging due to the archaic language/syntax. The illustrations are quite good, full of color and detail and a style that blends realism and humor.
The poem tells the story of a man who is going on a trip with his wife and family to celebrate their wedding anniversary. They ride in the coach, while he is to follow on horseback. But the borrowed horse takes off out of control. While the format is relatively familiar as far as picture books go, the story seems more relatable to adults than children. Part of the story is he brings two stone jugs of wine which he puts in the scabbards of his sword belt for the ride.
One thing that confused me for a while was the occasional word at the end of a a line with a bracket before it. E.g.
“Then over all, that he might be
Equipped from top to toe,
His long red cloak, well brushed and
He manfully did throw. [neat,”
Eventually, I figured out that the word after the bracket is the conclusion of the line above (His long red cloak, well brushed and neat,”. The text is laid out in two columns side by side, and these were lines too long to fit. Today, typesetters adjust font size and spacing, but I suppose in the 1890s, they were limited to a small selection of physical type sizes.
The story is ok, though a tad challenging due to the archaic language/syntax. The illustrations are quite good, full of color and detail and a style that blends realism and humor.
August 8, 2020
This was in the local history section at work so I picked it up. It was actually quite amusing!
April 17, 2022
Classic comedy.
It is about John Gilpin's famous ride, one may say--and, certainly, I wish I were there to see the next, too.
It is about John Gilpin's famous ride, one may say--and, certainly, I wish I were there to see the next, too.
January 31, 2023
Cowper's fun poem in an attractive illustrated edition.
January 5, 2025
This is a cute tale with charming illustrations.
May 28, 2026
To celebrate their wedding anniversary, John Gilpin decides to take his wife and family out for dinner in a nearby town - but when he tries to ride upon his horse, the beast ends up racing way beyond his control, leading to a high-flying chase through the countryside! Cowper and Caldecott offer children a jolly pairing of beautiful illustrations and humourous rhyming to easily enjoy over and over.
December 4, 2023
Again, you almost wonder if books like these were seen as exercises in style by Searle. The story is fun but it allows Searle to indulge in a somewhat Hogarthian style of art, getting wilder and wilder as the book goes on. He clearly enjoys putting Gilpin through the ringer and delights in showing him as a glowering victim sans wig by the end of the book
January 4, 2019
Good, pretty funny.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews