Subject: Folklore, Myths & Legends
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Aesop's Fables Aesop
The fables of Aesop have become one of the most enduring traditions of European culture, ever since they were first written down nearly two millennia ago. Aesop was reputedly a tongue-tied slave who miraculously received the power of speech; from his legendary storytelling came the collections of prose and verse... read more »
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A House of Pomegranates Oscar Wilde
A House of Pomegranates is a collection of whimisical short stories by Oscar Wilde. This collections includes the following tales: The Young King, The Birthday of the Infanta, The Fisherman and his Soul, and The Star-child. Readers of all ages will be delighted by these fanciful tales. read more »
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Aladdin and the Magic Lamp Anonymous
When an evil magician tricks Aladdin, a young ne'er-do-well, into crawling into a cave and retrieving an old oil lamp, he little suspects that the young ruffian will outwit him and keep the magic lamp for himself. The boy discovers that by rubbing the side of the tarnished oil lamp, a gigantic fierce looking genie... read more »
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Andersen's Fairy Tales Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tales are like exquisite jewels, drawing from us gasps of recognition and delight. Andersen created intriguing and unique characters — a tin soldier with only one leg but a big heart, a beetle nestled deep in a horse’s mane but harboring high aspirations. Each one of us at some... read more »
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Beauty and the Beast Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont
A beautiful daughter dreams of meeting a handsome prince, but in order to save her father's life, she leaves home to live with a terrible, frightening beast. Though her patron is hideous, his disarming generosity slowly leads to a surprising connection. Generations of children have been fascinated by the story of... read more »
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Beauty and The Beast, and Tales From Home Bayard Taylor
Through her great capacity to love, a kind and beautiful maid releases a handsome prince from the spell which has made him an ugly beast. Generations of children have been fascinated by the story of the girl named Beauty, who grows to love a fearsome beast by learning to see and cherish his kindness, generosity, and... read more »
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Cinderella Henry W. Hewet
Lost in her day dreams, Cinderella imagines a new life far far way from the evils of her stepsisters and stepmother. But when the prince announces a ball is to be given and Cinderella's terrible stepsisters refuse to let her attend, Cinderella's dreams are crushed. That is until her fairy godmother appears and waves... read more »
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Fables Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson's Fables was published in New York by Longmans, Green in 1902. Previously, the thirteen fables had been published with other works. Stevenson had a long-standing fascination with the fable as a literary form. In 1888, he approached his publisher with a collection of fables that he had composed... read more »
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Fantastic Fables Ambrose Bierce
Over 200 fantastic fables from the bitter pen of Ambrose Bierce fill this little volume to overflowing with a rich feast of his misanthropy. Bierce didn't miss a thing—greedy politicians, thieving doctors, not so pious holy men, aldermen, poets, naturalists, poodles, lions, kangaroos, judges, diplomats... read more »
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Flower Fables Louisa May Alcott
Flower Fables contains wildly imaginative stories that grew out of Alcott's experience as a storyteller to the children of her Concord, Connecticut, neighbors. Through these enticing encounters with fairies, elves, and animals, the author creates a foundation for young people based on the themes of love, kindness... read more »
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Grimms' Fairy Tales Brothers Grimm
Dwarves, giants, princesses, kings, fairies, and magicians ... all can be found in the enchanting fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. Sixty-two of the Grimms' best stories are brought to life, from well-known favorites like "Rapunzel," "Red Riding Hood," "Rumpelstiltskin," and "Hansel and Grethel," to lesser-known... read more »
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Grimm's Household Tales Brothers Grimm
Included here are fairy tales from "Children's and Household Tales" by the Brothers Grimm, translated by Margaret Hunt. The translation is based on the last edition of the book, featuring 200 fairy tales and 10 children's legends and includes such firm favourites as Rapunzel, The Goose Girl, Sleeping Beauty, Hansel... read more »
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Irish Fairy Tales James Stephens
Take a trip through the rich folklore of Ireland in this enchanting volume from author James Stephens. Fairy kings, femmes fatales, bewitched animals, epic feuds -- these action-packed stories traverse a broad spectrum of themes and settings. Folklore fans and readers interested in Gaelic and Celtic culture will... read more »
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Old Testament Legends M. R. James
This collection is a series of stories not found in the Bible, but found in other works he translated. Among these stories are Adam, about how God showed Adam and Eve how to live outside of Eden, and Solomon and the Demons, the story of how Solomon tamed the demons told from the point of view of the King. read more »
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Tales of Troy and Greece Andrew Lang
Andrew Lang draws on his classical learning to recount the Homeric legend of the wars between the Greeks and the Trojans. Paris, Helen of Troy, Achilles, Hector, Ulysses, the Amazons and the Wooden Horse all figure in this magical introduction to one of the greatest legends ever told. Superbly illustrated by H. J... read more »
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The Arabian Nights Entertainments Anonymous
The Sultan Schahriar's misguided resolution to shelter himself from the possible infidelities on his wives leads to an outbreak of barbarity in his kingdoms and a reign of terror in his court, stopped only by the resourceful Scheherazade. The tales with which Scheherazade nightly postpones the muderous intent of the... read more »
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The Blue Fairy Book Andrew Lang
It is almost impossible to envision what childhood would be like without the enchanting world of fairyland. Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, giants and dwarfs, monsters and magicians, fairies and ogres- these are the companions who thrill young boys and girls of all lands and all times, as Andrew Lang's... read more »
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The Brown Fairy Book Andrew Lang
The stories in this Fairy Book come from all quarters of the world. For example, the adventures of 'Ball-Carrier and the Bad One' are told by Red Indian grandmothers to Red Indian children who never go to school, nor see pen and ink. 'The Bunyip' is known to even more uneducated little ones, running about with no... read more »
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The Crimson Fairy Book Andrew Lang
Each Fairy Book demands a preface from the Editor, and these introductions are inevitably both mono-tonous and unavailing. A sense of literary honesty compels the Editor to keep repeating that he is the Editor, and not the author of the Fairy Tales, just as a distinguished man of science is only the Editor, not the... read more »
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The Crock of Gold James Stephens
Pass a pleasant afternoon with this delightful collection of short stories. Simple but not simplistic, these diverting tales are rendered in exquisitely rich and often playful language that will have you lingering over sentences and highlighting your favorite passages so you can revisit them again and again. The... read more »
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The Demi-Gods James Stephens
In The Demi-Gods, a group of ancient heroes in the form of winged angels show up one night in the camp of the wandering Mac Canns (Patsy, his daughter Mary and their downtrodden donkey). Together the little group wanders around rural Ireland: telling stories, creating mischief and running into some familiar yet... read more »
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The Frog Prince Anonymous
The Classic tale of the Frog Prince comes to life as originally published by George Routledge 1874. Included in this book are three books: The Frog Prince, Princess Belle-Etoile and Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp. Includes the original colorful illustrations of characters. read more »
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The Green Fairy Book Andrew Lang
These collections are specifically intended for children, and consequently edited for that end. When Andrew began publishing these books there were almost no English fairy tale books in circulation. The series proved of great influence in children's literature, and inspired a host of imitators. The series also... read more »
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The Grey Fairy Book Andrew Lang
These tales are derived from many countries; Lithuania, various parts of Africa, Germany, France, Greece, and other regions of the world. They have been translated and adapted by Mrs. Dent, Mrs. Lang, Miss Eleanor Sellar, Miss Blackley, and Miss Hang. ‘The Three Sons of Hali' is from the last century ‘Cabinet... read more »
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The Lady of the Lake Walter Scott
With buoyant spirit Scott wrote The Lady of the Lake, and its extraordinary success justified his expectations. Scott, in speaking of this poem, says, "The ancient manners, the habits and customs, of the aboriginal race by whom the Highlands of Scotland were inhabited, had always appeared to me peculiarly adapted to... read more »
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The Lilac Fairy Book Andrew Lang
The twelfth in Andrew Lang's Fairy Book series containing 33 tales from Portugal, Ireland, Wales and points East and West, among them "The Brown Bear of Norway," "The Enchanted Deer," "The Story of a Very Bad Boy," and "The Brownie of the Lake". First published in 1910 and includes 51 illustrations. read more »
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The Little White Bird J. M. Barrie
The Little White Bird is a series of short episodes with tones ranging from fantasy and whimsy to social comedy with dark aggressive undertonesm. It accounts the narrator's day to day activities in London of its day, and fanciful tales set in Kensington Gardens and elsewhere. This book also includes the very first... read more »
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The Olive Fairy Book Andrew Lang
The Olive Fairy Book contains eight Punjabi tales, five from Armenia, 16 other stories from Turkey, Denmark, the Sudan, and more. An enchanting world of flying dragons, ogres, fairies, and princes transformed into white foxes with illustrations by H.J. Ford. read more »
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The Orange Fairy Book Andrew Lang
In this volume there are stories from the natives of Rhodesia, collected by Mr. Fairbridge, who speaks the native language, and one is brought by Mr. Cripps from another part of Africa, Uganda. Three tales from the Punjaub were collected and translated by Major Campbell. Various savage tales, which needed a good... read more »
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The Pied Piper of Hamelin Robert Browning
The town of Hamelin is filled with rats! There are rats in the cupboards, rats in the marketplace, rats in the doghouses, even rats in the pots and pans. The rats are eating all the food, chewing through the houses, and chasing away the cats. The people of Hamelin don't know what to do! Then a mysterious stranger... read more »