Since its publication in 1906, this book has
become one of the most loved childrenÕs books of all times. A picture of Nils Holgersson, on the back of a goose flying over the Scandinavian
plains, is printed on the reverse side of the Swedish 20 krona banknote. The Swedish novelist Selma Lagerlšf (1858 Ð 1940) was the first female writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature (1909). The Swedish newspaper "Gefle Posten" called her Òthe greatest story-teller in Scandinavian literature since the days of Hans Christian Andersen.Ó This book is on the list of the 100 best books of the 20th century, according to a poll conducted by the Paris newspaper Le Monde.