The story of a young orphan who finds a long-neglected garden and is awakened by its magic. Mary Lennox, born in India to an English official and his beautiful, self-absorbed wife, is a thoroughly disagreeable little girl -- so selfish, spoiled, and tyrannical the local children call her 'Mistress Mary Quite Contrary'. After the death of her parents, Mary is sent to live with her uncle at Misselthwaite Manor on the Yorkshire moors. Her uncle is a forbidding man, the house is old and gloomy -- and Mary is sure she hears crying from somewhere down its dark corridors. Since even a disagreeable child needs to keep busy, Mary begins exploring the grounds surrounding the house and discovers a walled garden. Led by a bird to its well-hidden door, Mary enters the prettiest, most mysterious-looking place imaginable. Her joy increases when Dickon, a local boy, joins her in the garden, teaching her about bulbs and seeds, and making things grow. And when Mary finally encounters her lonely, sickly cousin whose crying had haunted her imagination, the garden's magic works its real wonders, transforming the gloomy household into a place of courage, hope, and love. Exquisite, richly detailed full-colour illustrations capture the beauty and romance of Mary and her secret garden. The original, unabridged text from 1911 is presented in a handsome contemporary design with two-colour printing throughout, and 16 beautiful full-colour illustrations reproduced on heavy glossy stock.