Gutta-Percha Willie: The Story of a Boy Genius by George MacDonald, Arthur Hughes, David Jack

Featuring eight full-page illustrations by Arthur Hughes

In the sleepy village of Priory Leas, young Willie Macmichael is a local favourite. Friendly with all around him, he spends much of his time with the aged, keeping them company and brightening their lives with his sunny presence. But Willie is as gifted as he is good, and with his hunger to learn, and a natural genius for invention, he can soon do more than ever for his kind: especially when Nature herself lends a hand, and caps all his efforts with a final flourish.

Gutta-Percha Willie, first published in 1873, is the second of George MacDonald’s three realistic children’s novels.