7 h 32 minAudiobook15 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 7 h 32 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if a grand house offers everything a child needs—except the place where she belongs?
High in the Swiss Alps, Heidi finds a home with her gruff grandfather, the Alm-Uncle. There is a bed of hay, open sky, and a herd of goats to follow with her friend Peter. Johanna Spyri brings you close to a cheerful orphan whose love reaches people used to living with loneliness.
Then her aunt Dete takes Heidi to Frankfurt, where she becomes a companion to Clara Sesemann, a lonely girl who cannot walk. Here, servants, lessons, and Fräulein Rottenmeier's strict rules replace the freedom of the mountains. Clara wants a friend, but Heidi longs for home. Can comfort and kindness make up for the world she misses?
What you’ll discover
- Life above the village Follow Heidi and Peter into high pastures, where goats and open skies fill their days.
- A grandfather learning tenderness Watch the solitary Alm-Uncle slowly learn to care for another person again.
- Friendship across different worlds Meet Clara, whose longing for company brings Heidi into a life unlike her own.
- Small acts of kindness Spend time with Peter's blind grandmother, who finds comfort in Heidi's loving presence.
- The meaning of home Explore what children need beyond comfort, through Heidi's joy in nature and ache for belonging.
Who will love it
This book suits readers who love mountain scenery, warm family stories and animals, and anyone who enjoys a tale in which kindness changes the people around it.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Heidi trusts the man others fear
- Care grows through small daily acts
- Freedom grows alongside care for others
- Compassion reaches beyond the mountain hut
- A comfortable house cannot replace home
- Gentle teaching gives Heidi new hope
- Strange happenings reveal a child's distress
- Affection can reach beneath hard appearances
Who’s who
- HeidiAn orphaned child of about five, honest and warm, who loves the mountain, the goats and her grandfather and wants to help everyone around her.
- Alm-UncleHeidi's gruff grandfather, a lonely man shunned by the village, who lives high on the mountain and slowly learns to care again.
- PeterThe young goatherd, slow with words but quick on the slopes, who loves Heidi's company and cannot bear to share her.
- Clara SesemannA kind, pale girl in Frankfurt who spends her days on a couch and longs for company and adventure.
- Miss RottermeyerThe stern housekeeper of the Sesemann house, who wants order and good manners and is horrified by Heidi.
- Grandmamma SesemannClara's wise, cheerful grandmother, who teaches Heidi to read and to pray and sees what others miss.
- The DoctorA kindly physician who understands Heidi's home-sickness, grieves for his own lost daughter and finds peace on the mountain.
- Peter's GrandmotherA blind, old woman who spins in a shaky cottage and treasures Heidi's visits and her reading of hymns.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer, once the book texts are online.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 15 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook and the audiobook open when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then USD 0.14 a day in your first year on the yearly plan and USD 0.27 a day after, or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Heidi in 25 languages, side by side, paragraph by paragraph, once the book texts are online: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Heidi
by Johanna Spyri · 1880
A small girl sheds her heavy dresses and climbs the Alm mountain after Peter's goats, bound for a grim grandfather.
Medium level2–5 hours to read20 languages
Learn a language with medium classicsSpanishFrenchGermanItalianJapanesePortugueseEnglishHow we measure levels
Excellent
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then USD 0.14 a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
In short
What happens when a child raised in the high Alps is carried off to a great city and told to sit still? Heidi is a small girl when her aunt Dete walks her up the Alm mountain and leaves her with a grandfather the whole village fears.
Heidi at a glance
- Reading time
- About 4 h 10 min3 h 20 min fast, 5 h slow
- Length
- 60,000 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1880by Johanna Spyri
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A frightened village hands Heidi to Alm-Uncle
The book opens on a bright June morning on the path up the Alm mountain. Dete leads a small child named Heidi, who wears two dresses and a thick red shawl in spite of the heat. Dete has a good place waiting in Frankfurt and means to leave Heidi with her grandfather.
On the climb, Dete tells the old man's story. He once owned a large farm but lost it to drink and gambling. After his son died in an accident and his son's wife died of grief, the village called it a punishment, and he withdrew to the mountain, where everyone calls him Alm-Uncle.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 15 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1880
- Language
- English
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Spyri, Johanna. Heidi. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/heidi.
Spyri, J. (2026). Heidi. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/heidi (Original work published 1880)
Spyri, Johanna. Heidi. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/heidi.
@book{spyri2026heidi,
author = {Spyri, Johanna},
title = {Heidi},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/heidi},
note = {First published 1880}
}
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Heidi
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is Heidi about?
Heidi is about an orphaned Swiss girl sent to live with her grandfather in the Alps. She later goes to a rich house in Frankfurt as a companion to an invalid girl, and the story follows her longing for home.
Who are the main characters in Heidi?
The main characters are Heidi, her grandfather Alm-Uncle, the goatherd Peter, Peter's blind grandmother, Clara Sesemann, the strict Miss Rottermeyer, Grandmamma Sesemann and the kind doctor. Each plays a part in Heidi's journey from mountain to city and back.
Is Heidi a true story?
Heidi is a work of fiction by the Swiss author Johanna Spyri, set in the villages and Alpine pastures of Switzerland. The places such as Mayenfeld and Doerfli are real, but the characters and events are invented.
The author
Johanna Spyri
1827–1901 · Swiss children's writer
Johanna Spyri was a Swiss writer born in Hirzel, Switzerland, in 1827. She moved to Zurich in 1852 and lived there until her death in 1901. She wrote books for children and adults. Her first published story appeared in 1871. Heidi was published in two parts in 1880 and 1881.
More by Johanna Spyri
See all their booksMore like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
