King Midas and The Golden Touch

“There once lived a very rich king called Midas
who believed that nothing was more precious than gold.”

So begins this imaginative and breathtaking retelling of the myth of the man with the golden touch. When a mysterious stranger offers to reward Midas for a kindness, the king does not hesitate: He wishes that all he touches would turn to gold. To his delight, his wish is granted and he soon sets about transforming his ordinary palace into a place of golden beauty. But to his dismay, when he accidentally turns his beloved daughter into a golden statue, Midas learns that what at first seems a blessing can also become a curse.

ISBN: 006054063X

PlainTales Comments: This is an abridged version of the original Nathaniel Hawthorne story found in A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys. The daughter in this version also has a different name than the original. The story is beautifully illustrated though and most of the story line is the same.