Originally published in November 1939, two months after World War II officially began, James Thurber’s parable in pictures—a graphic novel ahead of its day—about the eternal cycles of war, peace, love, and the resilience of one little flower remains as relevant today as it was then. The New York Times called it “at once one of the most serious and one of the most hilarious contributions on war.” E. B. White wrote, “In it you will find his faith in the renewal of life, his feeling for the beauty and fragility of life on earth.”

Civilization has collapsed after World War XII, dogs have deserted their masters, all the groves and gardens have been destroyed, and love has vanished from the earth. Then one day, “a young girl who had never seen a flower chanced to come upon the last one in the world.” Written amid the sorrow and chaos of war, dedicated to his only child “in the wistful hope that her world will be better than mine,” Thurber’s The Last Flower is a wise and loving testimony to the salvation found in nature. This new printing features new scans of Thurber’s original 1939 drawings.

2007 hardcover edition.