Why The Wind in the Willows Means More as You Grow Older

Join the Reading Room Book Club: https://substack.com/@benjaminlaird Subscribe to my free newsletter: https://substack.com/@benjaminlaird Buy books and support local bookstores: https://bookshop.org/shop/benjaminlai... Disclosure: I may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through my Bookshop.org links, at no additional cost to you. CHAPTERS 00:00 A book that changed my life 02:12 Children’s literature and retroactive nostalgia 07:29 Kenneth Grahame and the world behind the riverbank 10:57 Mole, Rat, Badger, and learning through friendship 15:07 Adventure and the journey home 17:27 Mr. Toad: novelty, obsession, and responsibility 21:24 Four different ways of living 24:58 Wayfarers All: adventure or rootedness? 26:54 The Piper at the Gates of Dawn: encountering the sublime 28:17 The pastoral ideal and Toad-filled chaos 29:55 An imagined past and the future of the good life Reading The Wind in the Willows was one of the most magical, nostalgic reading experiences of my life—even though I first read it in my twenties. In this video essay, I explore its history, humour, remarkable characters, and what its world of friendship, adventure, and home can teach us about how to live.