The Box of Delights

Story

The Box of Delights is a special box. It allows its owner to travel through time. It belongs to a magical old man who has asked Kay to protect it. But Kay is in danger: the magician Abner Brown will stop at nothing to get his hands on the box.

Why we chose it

A magical fantasy which inspired a number of future authors.

Where it came from

John Edward Masefield (1878 –1967), English poet, writer and Poet Laureate (1930-1967), wrote The Box of Delights after the success of his other children’s fantasy novel The Midnight Folk (1927). Both novels, which include the same central characters, are said to have been inspired by his own childhood and his reading of Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson) whilst at sea, aged thirteen, on HMS Conway.

Where it went next

The Box of Delights has enjoyed success in various formats, including radio, opera and drama, but it most notably found fame when it was adapted into a BBC TV production in 1984 by Alan Seymour. In 1985 the six part series won three BAFTA TV awards and a RTS awards, in particular for its special effects.

Associated stories

As a poet John Masefield is perhaps best known for his poems about the sea which include Cargoes and Sea Fever.