Otto of the Silver Hand
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âThis tale that I am about to tell is of a little boy who lived and suffered in those dark middle ages; of how he saw both the good and the bad of men, and of how, by gentleness and love and not by strife and hatred, he came at last to stand above other men and to be looked up to by all.ââfrom the book
Young Otto is born into a warring household in a lawless age. Having no mother, he is sent by his father, a valiant robber baron, to be safely raised by the monks until the age of twelve. But when he returns, gentle Otto can no longer escape the bitter blood feud between his father and the rival house of Trutz-Drachen. He is kidnapped by the rival family and his hand is cut off, to be replaced forever by a silver one. Can his brave father and his captorâs kind daughter, Pauline, help him escape?
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Howard Pyle (1853â1911), author and illustrator, was born in Wilmington, Delaware. Inspired as a child by Grimmâs German Fairy Tales and The Arabian Nights, he decided as an adult to write and illustrate stories for children. After some success contributing to childrenâs magazines, he became famous with his book The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood of Great Renown in Nottinghamshire. He also wrote and illustrated historical romances and fairy stories. Having studied painting at the Drexel Institute in Philadelphia, he was one of the most influential illustrators of his time, known for his imagination and detail. He also taught painting and wrote many stories for young people, illustrating his own works.
Geoffrey Howard (a.k.a. Ralph Cosham) (1936â2014) was a British journalist who changed careers to become a narrator and screen and stage actor. He performed in more than one hundred professional theatrical roles. His audiobook narrations were named âAudio Best of the Yearâ by Publishers Weekly, and he won seven AudioFile Earphones Awards, and in 2013 he won the coveted Audie Award for Best Mystery Narration for his reading of Louise Pennyâs The Beautiful Mystery.
