Rudy and Babette

Hans Christian Andersen's Swiss tale follows Rudy, a grave mountain boy raised among the glaciers near Grindelwald, where he sells carved wooden toys, keeps company with his grandfather, and seems more at home with animals and cliffs than with other children. Marked by a tragic infancy in which his mother died in a crevasse and he was rescued from the ice, Rudy grows up under the shadow of the mountains' opposing powers: the dangerous Ice-Maiden and the radiant Daughters of the Sun. When he leaves for his uncle's home in Vallais, he crosses snowfields and crevasses with fearless wonder, then learns hunting, shooting, and survival from a stern but loving mentor. An avalanche changes everything, forcing Rudy into responsibility and loss. As a young man, admired for his strength, he falls in love with Babette, the miller's daughter of Bex, and must prove that devotion can endure temptation, jealousy, and the lure of the mountain's enchantments before their reconciliation and wedding. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.